Insect pollination plays important provisioning and cultural ecosystem services to humans, largely contributing to food security and enhancing local people’s cultural norms. Though insect pollinators are fraught with numerous threats, such as deforestation, pesticides, anthropogenic fires, and climate change, little is known about how they are perceived by local people who regularly interact with them and also affect their fate based on held local perceptions. In this study, we examined the perceived contribution of insect pollinators to the Murundu farming community as a case study, using a semi-structured household questionnaire, focused group discussions, and interviews of informants. The study revealed a mix of perceptions regarding the socio-ecological benefits of insect pollinators, and among them were crop pollination, honey, and fruit production. Farmers’ knowledge of the social-ecological benefits of insect pollinators was significantly influenced by their age, level of education, and duration of residence in the study area. The positive awareness levels and knowledge of social-ecological benefits of insect pollination among farmers should lay a strong foundation for developing viable interventions for pollinator conservation, and a basis for future research on the economic valuation of pollination.
Perceived social-ecological benefits of insect pollinators in Mufulira mining district of Zambia
Year: 2022
