Legally protect large native trees

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
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Study locations

Key messages

A study in degraded savannah in Minas Gerais, Brazil showed that the stingless bee species Melipona quadrifasciata selectively nested in the protected cerrado tree Caryocar brasiliense, evidence that protecting this species from logging or wood harvesting has helped to conserve stingless bees.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

The cerrado tree Caryocar brasiliense is the only tree species protected by federal regulations in Brazil. A detailed study of nest sites used by the stingless bee species Melipona quadrifasciata in 18 km2 of degraded cerrado (72 plots, each 500 m2) in Minas Gerais, Brazil, found that they almost exclusively nested in C. brasiliense (Antonini & Martins 2003). Forty-six out of 48 nests were found in that species, although there were 55 tree species at the site. The authors argue that M. quadrifasciata is only found in the area because of the protection of C. brasiliense.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Antonini Y. & Martins R.P. (2003) The value of a tree species for a stingless bee Melipona quadrifasciata quadrifasciata. Journal of Insect Conservation, 7, 167-174.

Please cite as:

Dicks, L.V., Showler, D.A. & Sutherland, W.J. (2010) Bee conservation: evidence for the effects of interventions. Pelagic Publishing, Exeter, UK

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bee Conservation

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Re-plant native forest Action Link	Awaiting assessment	0	Synopsis Link
Legally protect large native trees Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link
Retain dead wood in forest management Action Link	Awaiting assessment	1	Synopsis Link