Farm and Cattle Expansion in Quintana Roo Squeezes Native Wild Bees

José María Morelos, Quintana Roo — Converting land for farming and cattle ranching is putting native wild bees at risk in Quintana Roo, where the insects carry out part of the pollination that sustains trees and plants in the Maya forest, a researcher has warned.

Communities and communal land holdings, known as ejidos, need to draw clearer boundaries between areas set aside for production and those reserved for conservation, said Aurora Xolalpa Aroche, a researcher at the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo (UIMQROO), the state’s intercultural Maya university.

Xolalpa Aroche said attention usually centers on the species used to produce honey, even though those represent only a fraction of all pollinators. Many native bees live freely in the ecosystem and, while they have no commercial value, play a key role in reproducing local vegetation.

Land-Use Planning Seen as Key

The researcher argued that cutting pesticide use is only part of the solution. She proposed working directly with ejido organizations on land-use changes and on drafting community plans that define which areas should be conserved and which can be used for productive activity.

Those plans, she said, should weigh the needs of beekeeping, farming and cattle operations together so that the expansion of one activity does not shrink the space needed to maintain biodiversity. Protecting pollinators also means preserving the vegetation they depend on for food and reproduction, she added.

Xolalpa Aroche said another challenge is ensuring a new generation takes up traditional practices such as meliponiculture, the keeping of stingless bees. She called for conditions that encourage young people to stay involved in rural work — not only as a productive activity but as part of conserving the biodiversity and biocultural heritage of the Yucatan Peninsula.