Forest Habitat Conservation in Africa Using Commercially Important Insects

Abstract

African forests, which host some of the world's richest biodiversity, are rapidly diminishing. The loss of flora and fauna includes economically and socially important insects. Honey bees and silk moths, grouped under commercial insects, are the source for insect-based enterprises that provide income to forest-edge communities to manage the ecosystem. However, to date, research output does not adequately quantify the impact of such enterprises on buffering forest ecosystems and communities from climate change effects. Although diseases/pests of honey bees and silk moths in Africa have risen to epidemic levels, there is a dearth of practical research that can be utilized in developing effective control mechanisms that support the proliferation of these commercial insects as pollinators of agricultural and forest ecosystems. This review highlights the critical role of commercial insects within the environmental complexity of African forest ecosystems, in modern agroindustry, and with respect to its potential contribution to poverty alleviation and pollination services. It identifies significant research gaps that exist in understanding how insects can be utilized as ecosystem health indicators and nurtured as integral tools for important socioeconomic and industrial gains.

Predicting Spatial Distribution of Key Honeybee Pests in Kenya Using Remotely Sensed and Bioclimatic Variables: Key Honeybee Pests Distribution Models

“…Additionally, bee keeping aids natural resource conservation, especially in communities living around forests. It diversifies households' incomes in African savannahs often dominated by erratic and unreliable rainfall unable to sufficiently support rain-fed agriculture [3]. The supplemental income comes from the sale of hive products such as honey, wax, propolis, royal jelly and to a lesser extent bee venom.…”

The Utility of AISA Eagle Hyperspectral Data and Random Forest Classifier for Flower Mapping

“…We also conducted our experiment in February 2013 which is the maximum flowering period. The maximum flowering period is more significant for hive productivity and honey flow since flowering trees that are preferred by bees (i.e., Acacia tortilis) are in full bloom during this period [3]. We then repeated the experiment at the beginning of the flowering period (January 2014) to assess the applicability of our methods using field data of less floral fractional coverage.…”

“…Specifically, attention has been paid to factors that threaten honeybee health such as parasites, pathogens, abiotic stress factors, and land use and land cover (LULC) changes that often lead to a decrease in flowering plants within the landscape matrix. Essentially, the quality and quantity of honey and honey products is reliant on the availability of flowering melliferous plants (as pollen and nectar sources) in the landscape [3]. Honeybee products including honey, wax, propolis, and royal jelly can be sold by rural communities to generate income [3,4].…”

“…Essentially, the quality and quantity of honey and honey products is reliant on the availability of flowering melliferous plants (as pollen and nectar sources) in the landscape [3]. Honeybee products including honey, wax, propolis, and royal jelly can be sold by rural communities to generate income [3,4]. Knowledge on the density and diversity of melliferous plants as well as floral cycle and intensity is important for an optimal placement of bee hives within the landscape matrix and moreover to understand honeybee foraging behavior and hive productivity in terms of honey quantity and quality [3,4].…”

Application of hyperspectral remote sensing for flower mapping in African savannas

“…The floral cycle refers to the duration of the blossoming period and flowering intensity which includes the fractional coverage of flowering buds within a single tree, plant or vegetation community (McIntosh, 2002). In situ observations of the floral cycle of key melliferous plants are often used to produce floral calendars for a specific site (Raina, Kioko, Zethner, & Wren, 2011). Floral calendars categorize various flowers, their value to bees, abundance, season and duration of bloom for a given area.…”