The importance of the environment for the subsistence of life on earth is unquestionable. The magnitude of its value is represented by the human right to a healthy environment, a prerogative that protects the environment as a fundamental legal right and expresses the relevance of this to have a dignified life. This human right constitutes a guarantee for the realization and validity of the rest, since human being are in an indissoluble relationship with its environment and nature1. For this reason, achieving sustainable development would ensure the quality of present and future life. In this sense, the dignity, autonomy, and sanctity of the person depend on the health of the planet, its resources, and species.
Food Security is a central topic in the global agenda. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that by the year 2050, world population will exceed 9,000 million, of which 150 million will dwell in Mexico. This should increase agricultural production by 60% in the country by that year 2.
Beekeeping is a fundamental activity to achieve Food Security in Mexico and the world, which is why authorities, researchers, farmers, beekeepers, and members are aware of the importance of bees. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says 100 crop species provide 90% of the food worldwide, and bees pollinate 71% of these3. It is for this reason, given by the engineer Manuel Ramirez Salcido, that bees have been presented as a parameter of environmental health, talking about ecology.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) says that if bees disappear there would be a food crisis; 84% of cash crops depend on their pollination 4. In the same way, SAGARPA states that multiple varieties of fruit trees depend on cross-pollination that uses animals as vectors, such as bees; that is to say that there is an enormous amount of zoophilic plants.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the links between the population, environment, and natural resources are mediated by multiple factors. The immediate environmental impact of urban settlements derives from a change in land purpose5, reducing the size of crops that can be pollinated by bees, generating an effect similar to that of habitat loss and with this, nutritional complications in bees, conferring susceptibility to diseases. This is one of the points suggested by the engineer Alejandro Bianchi during our meeting on June 15, 2018.
However, there are actions that seek to provide a healthy life for bees and their existence. There is a concern for the negative impact on anthophiles by irresponsible human activities; it is vital to prevent and attack the causes of bee reduction or loss at their roots. As a consequence, the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity should be used. These objectives are:
- Conservation of biodiversity.
- Sustainable use of the components of biological diversity.
- Appropriate transference of technologies.