Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/Z504361/1
Exploring the role of pollinating insects for sustainable livelihoods in the Peruvian Amazon
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Dr KCR Baldock, Northumbria University, Fac of Engineering and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr M Pound, Northumbria University, Fac of Engineering and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor K Jenkins, Northumbria University, Fac of Engineering and Environment
- Grant held at:
- Northumbria University, Fac of Engineering and Environment
- Science Area:
- None
- Overall Classification:
- Unknown
- ENRIs:
- None
- Science Topics:
- None
- Abstract:
- Animal pollination is crucial for ecosystem stability and global food security, however declines in many pollinator species have been recorded worldwide. Peru is a global biodiversity hotspot where deforestation and climate change are key threats for many species, including pollinators. With Peru's economy reliant on agriculture, including crops that depend on animal pollination, there exists a juxtaposition between a desire for nature conservation and increased agricultural production. Managing landscapes to benefit pollinator biodiversity is expected to benefit crop yields, however challenges exist in developing sustainable approaches to agricultural land management. In other biodiverse tropical regions, stingless beekeeping (meliponiculture) benefits biodiversity and also crop production through enhanced pollination services. However, there is limited knowledge of the role of stingless bees and other insects for pollination of many crops in Peru, or how agricultural landscapes can be managed to support diverse pollinator communities. Our project will take an interdisciplinary approach to assessing the role of pollinators for coffee production in the Peruvian Amazon, a crop of significant economic value in Peru which is highly vulnerable to climate change. We will: 1) Collect flower-visitor interaction data to identify pollinators important for coffee production on smallholder farms and identify which floral resources across the landscape are utilised by pollinators through plant-pollinator network analyses. 2) Analyse pollen from stingless bee honey to identify floral sources. 3) Undertake participatory community workshops, emphasising gendered and intergenerational knowledges, to gather qualitative data around current practices and knowledge in relation to pollinating insects and stingless bee management in coffee production, including local knowledge of flower-insect interactions. 4) Integrate data across the project components using a network approach to examine how local knowledge maps to the ecological data on pollinating insects. The partnership will integrate expertise across disciplines and share knowledge among partners through workshops and capacity building activities. The project will build links with local communities, critical for the development of future research activities. Project results will be shared with stakeholders, including local communities, via dissemination workshops. Workshop feedback will guide development of research outputs to maximise their impact with smallholder farmers and governmental departments. A toolkit for dissemination with smallholder farmers will synthesise our results and integrate findings with existing knowledge to advise on best practices for sustainable management of agricultural landscapes that benefit pollinators and crop production. The project will develop our understanding of which pollinators are important for a high value crop, which floral resources those pollinators use, and how coffee farms can be better managed to support pollinators in Peru. The co-created methodological framework for this proof-of-concept study of smallholder coffee farms will be adaptable to other regions across the Peruvian Amazon and other crops. We will also expand knowledge of the gender dynamics around stingless beekeeping and the roles of women in sustaining and enhancing economies based around the synergies between coffee production and stingless beekeeping. This new partnership will provide an important foundation for further collaborative studies across the Peruvian Amazon. We intend for these to inform sustainable agricultural practices, bolster conservation efforts, empower local communities, and shape effective strategies and policy making. These actions will protect pollinators and pollination services for crops, supporting the agricultural viability and biodiversity of the region.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/Z504361/1
- Grant Stage:
- Awaiting Start Confirmation
- Scheme:
- Research Grants
- Grant Status:
- Accepted
- Programme:
- GPSF
This grant award has a total value of £84,882
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| DI - Other Costs | Indirect - Indirect Costs | DA - Investigators | DI - Staff | DA - Estate Costs | Exception - T&S | DA - Other Directly Allocated | DI - T&S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £6,661 | £17,537 | £26,855 | £13,750 | £1,836 | £9,415 | £108 | £8,720 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.