A new model of pollination services potential using a landscape approach: A case study of post-mining area in Poland
Damian Łowicki, Katarzyna Fagiewicz
Abstract
Given that 90% of the world’s plant species are pollinated by animals, pollination is a crucial service which is strongly connected to biodiversity in general. Consequently, it should be considered in spatial planning, especially in the reclamation of post-mining areas as well as the restoration of abandoned land and post-industrial sites. These processes consist of creating a new land use pattern and giving new functions to areas degraded by humans, providing a great opportunity to increase the bundle of ecosystem services. This study demonstrates how a landscape approach can be incorporated into mapping and assessments of pollination services by proposing a new model of potential for pollination services (PPS). Using the example of the Adamów-Koźmin post-mining area (Poland), the effect of reclamation on the potential for pollination was assessed. Ecosystems in the early stages of succession and created as a result of reclamation treatments, such as meadows and young forests as well as legumes, can be highly suitable as foraging and/or nesting areas for bees. This study’s results can be used by the companies planning the land restoration or reclamation model to use, by beekeepers when choosing a location for apiaries and by farmers when planning the structure of sowings.