O serviço ecossistêmico de polinização e o extrativismo de frutos no norte de Minas Gerais e Vale do Jequitinhonha

Abstract

Ecosystem services are essentially the ways in which nature supports and sustains human life. In the case of pollination, it is a crucial ecosystem service that ensures we have fruits, seeds, honey, and so forth. Our goal was to explore how the extraction of native fruits impacts the economy of Northern Minas Gerais and the Vale do Jequitinhonha, and to outline the role of pollination ecosystem services in production and profitability. We gathered data on the productivity and profitability of mangaba, pequi, and umbu crops from 2016 to 2021 across all municipalities in the evaluated regions. This data came from the IBGE database on Vegetal Extraction Production (PEVS), accessed through the IBGE Automatic Recovery System (SIDRA). To evaluate the contribution of pollination services, we multiplied the production and financial returns of each species by the pollinator dependency ratio (RD). Our analysis revealed that the production of the three fruits was 32.9 times higher in Northern Minas Gerais (134,967 tons) than in Vale do Jequitinhonha (4,093 tons). Similarly, monetary returns were 37 times higher in Northern Minas Gerais (R$ 92,555,000 x1000) than in Vale do Jequitinhonha (R$ 2,474,000x1000. In fact, revenue from the three fruits accounted for significant 50.17% (R$ 92.555,000 x1000) of the PEVS in Northern Minas Gerais, with the remainder attributed to charcoal, firewood, wood, and oilseeds. Contrastingly, in Vale do Jequitinhonha, the yield of the three fruits only made up 10% of the PEVS (R$ 2.474,000 x1000), with charcoal and firewood of native origin dominating the scene. Pequi stood out as the most significant extractive product in Northern Minas Gerais, while also being the primary fruit extracted in Vale do Jequitinhonha throughout the study period. Notably, pollination services accounted for 80% of the total production (106,689 tons) during the study period (2016–2021). Additionally, we observed significant positive correlations between GDP, HDI, vegetation cover, extraction variables, and pollination services. These findings underscore the vital role of pollination services in sustaining the income of communities and traditional populations reliant on the extraction industry. Moreover, we identified the municipalities that may be most dependent on pollination ecosystem services for their PEVS composition. In Northern Minas Gerais, these include Espinosa, Gameleiras, Guaraciama, Josenópolis, Mamonas, Monte Azul, Mato Verde, Padre Carvalho, Ponto Chique, and Vargem Grande do Rio Pardo. Meanwhile, in the Vale do Jequitinhonha, they were Jenipapo de Minas, Araçuai, Gouveia, and Presidente Kubitschek. These areas are particularly vulnerable to the loss of pollinators. Overall, pollination services prove to be a critical factor in driving PEVS production across municipalities, supporting the extraction industry and contributing to the conservation of native areas and their associated biodiversity.