The Future of the Yucatan Peninsula Stingless Bees - Mexico An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Diverse Aspects Influencing Meliponiculture

Abstract

Meliponiculture, or stingless bee domestication, is an ancient Maya practice that has been at the edge of disappearance in the past 20 years. Thanks to an alarming preoccupation of the future of stingless bees, many conservation programs have been developed in the past decade. This activity disappearance underlined another major issue, the depopulation of rural Mexico in a globalized world. This master thesis is focusing on the cultural, environmental, economic and sustainable aspects of the breeding of native stingless bees in the Yucatan Peninsula region, Mexico. This research consists of understanding the current situation of the (re-) development of meliponiculture in the Yucatan Peninsula - Mexico. By using the Sustainable Livelihood Approach, community and incentive based conservation; the reader will be introduced to a series of historical events that influenced the transition from traditional to modern meliponiculture. One will also see that stingless bees have a primordial role in the preservation of the Mexican biodiversity. Social links between what unite meliponicultors to stingless bees and cultural practices will be explored. Insight on the economic potential of the activity, notably through the variety of deriving products and access to markets will be given. One will also be informed of the role that cooperatives and funds can play in the development of this activity. Finally, the reader will be introduced to other aspects that can foster meliponiculture into a sustainable activity, such as education or ecotourism. Current limitations slowing down the process of implementation of the activity will be explored.