Sustentabilidade socioeconômica e ambiental da meliponicultura

Abstract

Meliponiculture has become a viable alternative for diversifying productive activities in rural areas and a relevant strategy for the environmental conservation of native stingless bees, particularly on smallholder farms. In the western region of the state of Paraná, there is growing interest in this activity, driven both by its income-generating potential and by the associated environmental services, such as pollination and biodiversity preservation. In this context, this dissertation aimed to assess whether meliponiculture, as practiced in rural and urban environments in this region, can be considered sustainable in its social, economic, and environmental dimensions. The general objective was to evaluate the sustainability of meliponiculture in western Paraná, based on three specific objectives: first, to map the scientific literature on the subject through a bibliometric study; second, to identify the main indicators used to measure sustainability in natural resource management systems; and third, to empirically assess the social, economic, and environmental indicators of meliponiculture on urban and rural properties. The methodology combined a systematic review of the theoretical framework on meliponiculture and sustainability with field research based on primary data collected from 58 properties. The theoretical-methodological framework used was the "Framework for the Evaluation of Natural Resource Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators" (MESMIS). The results, obtained between 2022 and 2024, demonstrate that meliponiculture has the potential to be considered a sustainable activity across all three assessed dimensions. Its contributions include fostering integration between urban and rural areas, generating income with low production costs, and valuing traditional knowledge in conjunction with scientific understanding. However, the economic dimension showed the lowest average performance, indicating a need for investment in public policies, specialized technical assistance, and the strengthening of cooperation networks among practitioners of stingless beekeeping. This research contributes to understanding the local context and offers pathways for the sustainable development of meliponiculture.