How far pesticide contamination from agro-systems can affect adjacent protected forests?

Case study in Benin, West Africa

Abstract

Due to pest pressure, nowadays, conventional cotton farming necessitates the use of more and more pesticides. This study measured how far agrochemicals used in farming areas can pollute adjacent protected habitats. Experimental beehives were installed in farming areas, in buffer zone and in a forest (protected habitat) to monitor pollutants presence. Hives with bee colony were monthly weighted for 20 consecutive months to monitor beekeeping success year round. In parallel the food/flower resources estimated at each site, the dead bees continuously trapped per site to explain eventual fluctuation in beehive weight progress. Honey and dead bee were sampled for pesticide analysis to check if dead bees contain higher pesticide traces and thereby their numbers trend per site. Results show contamination of honey and bee from all sites. The food/flower resources availability followed the same trend as the beehives’ weight progression. We concluded of general contamination of bees and honey from farming areas to protected habitats (forest). However, these findings don’t have a clear impact on beekeeping and subsequent pollination services.  But, the food resources availability appeared to most affect the beekeeping success.