The Role of Linked Social-Ecological Systems in a Mobile Agent-Based Ecosystem Service from Giant Honey Bees (Apis dorsata) in an Indigenous Community Forest in Palawan, Philippines

Abstract

In an indigenous forest community in Palawan, Philippines, honey gathering from the giant honey bee (Apis dorsata) is a traditional subsistence practice. We characterize the social-ecological dynamics of giant honey bees with indigenous peoples of Tagbanua ethnicity using the mobile agent-based ecosystem service (MABES) framework. Chemical and pollen analysis conducted on honey samples generated data on the ecological features of this linked social-ecological system. These were supplemented by 251 household surveys and key informant interviews with institutional representatives to identify the social and institutional features of the system. Honey samples analyzed for pollen showed a total of 11 different plant families and did not have any traces of pesticide residue. The majority of households interviewed use honey as food, medicine, and a saleable commodity. A small percentage of households use fertilizers and pesticides known to be harmful to bees. Institutions have different knowledge strengths that can be tapped through a transdisciplinary approach. As the scale of production and delivery of MABES is distinctly a product of the mobility of service-delivering organisms, we recommend using a landscape approach with a focus on maintaining the quality of both the local environment and landscapes around the site of ES delivery.