‘The rules of nature are changing; every year is unpredictable’: perceptions of climate change by beekeepers of Liguria, NW Italy

Abstract

Beekeeping activity is a privileged lens for looking at the impacts of climate change since this human activity is profoundly and intimately embedded in the local ecology with particular reference to the flora. Therefore, we conducted 47 semi-structured interviews to identify the local perceptions of climate change impacts and their drivers among beekeepers of Liguria, a mountainous region of NW Italy. We found that beekeepers especially noticed changes in bee productivity and behaviour and melliferous flora productivity. Moreover, drought is a significant driver of changes in beekeeping as it affects both bees and melliferous plants. However, other drivers, namely alien species, pesticide spread, and abandonment of small-scale agriculture, also concur synergistically. We conclude that landscape planning sensitive to the needs and requests of beekeepers can further contribute to their adaptation to the impacts of climate change and reduce other detrimental phenomena on honeybee wellbeing by supporting small-scale agriculture to maintain a diverse landscape that provides fodder for pollinators.