Insects, meliponiculture and biocultural diversity

A tese apresenta os resultados de três estudos de caso que analisam os vínculos entre diversidade biológica e cultural, expressados nas relações (conhecimentos, usos, manejo) que estabelecem grupos humanos com as abelhas sem ferrão e outros insetos, em três contextos socioambientais diferentes: (1) as montanhas e vales da cordilheira dos Andes e as planícies do litoral Caribe na Colômbia; (2) as selvas do Noroeste Amazônico na bacia do Rio Negro, que conformam o limite entre a Colômbia e o Brasil; e (3) o semi-árido do Nordeste brasileiro, dominado pelo bioma Caatinga, no interior do estado de Rio Grande do Norte. No primeiro caso se apresenta o panorama da meliponicultura no país, mostrando espécies utilizadas, nomes locais, atores envolvidos, objetivos da atividade, produtos e seus usos, destacando a necessidade de prestar atenção à diversidade cultural associada às espécies de abelhas sem ferrão. O segundo caso apresenta aspectos do relacionamento entre as culturas indígenas Tukano Oriental do Vaupés com os artrópodes, mostrando a profundidade e detalhe do conhecimento tradicional e a importância que os insetos comestíveis tem na subsistência, e destacando que são um grupo de seres que não pode se desligar do resto de elementos do território e da cultura. No terceiro caso se explora o conflito socioambiental em torno à caça e comercialização de mel e ninhos de abelhas sem ferrão realizadas pelos meleiros; utilizando metodologias narrativas se analisam as suas práticas considerando aspectos históricos e socioculturais, discutindo os níveis de responsabilidade de outros atores envolvidos no conflito, e entendendo o meleiro e seu conhecimento como potenciais aliados na conservação. No marco intercultural e interdisciplinar, se exploram as dimensões resultantes do encontro entre sistemas de conhecimento diferentes (tradicional e local / científico e ocidental) que convidam a repensar as estratégias de intervenção dos projetos de desenvolvimento, assim como as premissas das práticas de pesquisa em contextos altamente diversos.The study focuses on the results of three case studies that explore the links between biological and cultural diversity, expressed in the relations (knowledge, uses, management) that human being establish with stingless bees and other insects, in three different social and environmental contexts: (1) the hills and valleys of the Andes mountain range, and the flatlands of the Caribbean coast in Colombia; (2) the Northwest Amazon rainforest in the Rio Negro basin, which shape the limits between Colombia and Brazil; and (3) the semi-arid at the Brazilian Northeast, in Rio Grande do Norte state, where the Caatinga biome prevails. The first case presents a landscape of the meliponiculture in Colombia, showing species used, local names, stakeholders, goals of the practice, products and their uses, highlighting the need of focusing on cultural diversity associated with stingless bees species. The second case presents different topics of relationship established between Eastern Tukano indigenous cultures from Vaupés region and some arthropods, showing the traditional knowledge deepness and detail about insects, the important role in subsistence of edible ones, and highlighting the fact that they are a group of beings that cannot be separated of the rest of the elements of territory and culture. The third case explores the socio-environmental conflict around the hunting and commercialization of stingless bees and their honey made by the meleiro (honey hunter); by the use of narrative methodologies, it is possible to analyze the meleiro\'s practices under an historical and sociocultural perspective, discussing the responsibilities of other stakeholders, and understand him and his knowledge as a potential allies in conservation. Under an intercultural and interdisciplinary frame, the study explores the results of the encounter between different knowledge systems (traditional-local / scientific-western) that invites to rethink about the strategies adopted by development projects, and premises of the research practices in highly diverse contexts

DIVERSIDAD DE ABEJAS SIN AGUIJÓN (HYMENOPTERA:MELIPONINI) UTILIZADAS EN MELIPONICULTURA EN COLOMBIA

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: " lang="ES-TRAD">En Colombia se conoce la existencia de cerca de 120 especies de abejas nativas sin aguijón, muchas de las cuales tienen importantes usos y representaciones para diversos grupos sociales y culturales. A pesar de que su cría y manejo (meliponicultura), es una actividad que viene creciendo y tecnificándose en Latinoamérica y otras regiones del mundo, sus características y desarrollo en Colombia han sido poco documentados. Se presentan los resultados de entrevistas y visitas a 75 personas en 16 departamentos de Colombia, que cultivan 25 especies de abejas sin aguijón, agrupadas en 12 géneros. Se encontraron al menos nueve especies más sin identificación completa, se reportan cuatro nuevos registros para el país y se amplía la distribución para 21 taxones. Se presenta información sobre la distribución regional y altitudinal, el cultivo urbano y las denominaciones locales para las abejas. Se revisan algunas características de los géneros cultivados más comunes (<em>Tetragonisca</em>, <em>Melipona</em>, <em>Paratrigona</em>, <em>Scaptotrigona</em>, y <em>Nannotrigona</em>) y se discute la importancia del vínculo entre diversidad biológica y cultural que se manifiesta en los nombres locales reportados. Ante un escenario mundial de expansión de la meliponicultura, se resaltan necesidades de investigación y riesgos para la conservación y manejo de la diversidad de abejas sin aguijón y los conocimientos asociados.</span></p

Tendencias en la apicultura y pérdida de colonias de abejas melíferas en América Latina

Over the past decade, several countries have carried out monitoring programs of managed honey bee colonies, which suggest beekeeping difficulties, with high colony loss rates all over the world. Although Latin America plays a major role in the global honey supply, information about trends in beekeeping activities and honey bee colony losses are lacking. Using the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) dataset and a synthesis of unpublished data of colony losses survey carried out over the last 7 years, we reveal a worrying situation of the beekeeping in this region. The Latin American trends in honey production and beehive numbers are drifting from the global pattern, and several high colony loss rates were registered in this region. These results reveal the presence of beekeeping difficulties in Latin America. However, the variability in methods of colony loss survey across initiatives prevent proper conclusion on loss rates. Efforts are needed to adapt, centralize and standardize methods to monitor honey bee health and colony losses across countries in Latin America, the main objective of the “colony losses” working group at the LatinAmerican Society for Bee Research, SOLATINA, a large-scale platform created in 2017 to coordinate bee research programs in Latin America.Durante la última década, varios países han llevado a cabo programas de monitoreo de colmenas de abejas melíferas, que sugieren dificultades en la apicultura relacionadas con altas tasas de pérdida de colonias al rededor del mundo. Aunque América Latina juega un papel importante en la producción mundial de miel, hay un vacío de información sobre la actividad apícola y las pérdidas de colonias en la región. Utilizando el conjunto de datos de la FAO y una síntesis de datos inéditos de encuestas sobre pérdidas de colonias realizada en los últimos siete años, revelamos una preocupante situación para la apicultura en esta región. Las tendencias latinoamericanas en la producción de miel y el número de colonias se desvían del patrón global, y se registran altas tasas de pérdidas de colonias en la región. Estos resultados revelan dificultades en el desarrollo apícola latinoamericano. Sin embargo, la variabilidad en los métodos de valoración de la pérdida de colonias en las diferentes iniciativas impide llegar a conclusiones definitivas sobre las tasas de pérdidas. Se necesitan esfuerzos para adaptar, centralizar y estandarizar los métodos de monitoreo de la salud de las abejas melíferas y las pérdidas de colonias en todos los países de América Latina. Esto constituye el principal objetivo del grupo de trabajo “Pérdida de colonias” de la Sociedad Latinoamericana de Investigación en Abejas, SOLATINA, una plataforma a gran escala creada en 2017 para coordinar los programas de investigación apícola en América Latina.Facultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

First large-scale study reveals important losses of managed honey bee and stingless bee colonies in Latin America

International audienceOver the last quarter century, increasing honey bee colony losses motivated standardized large-scale surveys of managed honey bees ( Apis mellifera ), particularly in Europe and the United States. Here we present the first large-scale standardized survey of colony losses of managed honey bees and stingless bees across Latin America. Overall, 1736 beekeepers and 165 meliponiculturists participated in the 2-year survey (2016–2017 and 2017–2018). On average, 30.4% of honey bee colonies and 39.6% of stingless bee colonies were lost per year across the region. Summer losses were higher than winter losses in stingless bees (30.9% and 22.2%, respectively) but not in honey bees (18.8% and 20.6%, respectively). Colony loss increased with operation size during the summer in both honey bees and stingless bees and decreased with operation size during the winter in stingless bees. Furthermore, losses differed significantly between countries and across years for both beekeepers and meliponiculturists. Overall, winter losses of honey bee colonies in Latin America (20.6%) position this region between Europe (12.5%) and the United States (40.4%). These results highlight the magnitude of bee colony losses occurring in the region and suggest difficulties in maintaining overall colony health and economic survival for beekeepers and meliponiculturists

Educación superior y pueblos indígenas en América Latina : experiencias, interpelaciones y desafíos

Este libro ofrece un panorama del campo de la Educación Superior y los Pueblos Indígenas en América Latina. Sus capítulos exponen estudios especialmente realizados sobre las experiencias de universidades creadas y gestionadas por organizaciones y/o referentes de pueblos indígenas, universidades interculturales creadas por los Estados y unidades académicas de universidades convencionales que desarrollan actividades en colaboración con dichos pueblos. Estos estudios describen experiencias actualmente en desarrollo en Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica y México, así como las de dos redes de colaboración entre universidades e intelectuales de pueblos indígenas de alcance latinoamericano