A novel GIS-based approach to assess beekeeping suitability of Mediterranean lands

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

Francesca Laudani¹  Orlando Campolo¹  Giulia Giunti¹  Antonino Malacrinò¹  Cinzia P. Strano¹  Paolo Zoccali¹  Vincenzo Palmeri¹  Giuseppe M. Algeri¹  Giovanni Benelli² 

[1] Department of AGRARIA, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria, Italy;Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy;

关键词: Apis mellifera;    Arid environments;    Beehive products;    Fuzzy logic;    Honey production;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.sjbs.2017.01.062

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Honeybees are critically important for the environment and to the economy. However, there are in substantial decline worldwide, leading to serious threat to the stability and yield of food crops. Beekeeping is of pivotal importance, combining the wide economical aspect of honey production and the important ecological services provided by honeybees. In this scenario, the prompt identification of beekeeping areas is strategic, since it maximised productivity and lowered the risks of colony losses. Fuzzy logic is an ideal approach for problem-solving tasks, as it is specifically designed to manage problems with a high degree of uncertainty. This research tested a novel GIS-based approach to assess beekeeping suitability of lands located in Calabria (Southern Italy), without relying to Analytic Hierarchy Process – Multiple Criteria Decision Making (AHP-MCDM), thus avoiding the constraints due to the technique and decision makers’ influences. Furthermore, the data used here were completely retrieved from open access sources, highlighting that our approach is characterized by low costs and can be easily reproduced for a wide arrays of geographical contexts. Notably, the results obtained by our experiments were validated by the actual beekeeping reality. Besides beekeeping, the use of this system could not only be applied in beekeeping land suitability evaluations, but may be successfully extended to other types of land suitability evaluations.

【 授权许可】

Unknown