The Value of Crop Production and Pollination Services in the Eastern Amazon

Nature safeguards living organisms and the ecosystem functions and services delivered by them. Animal pollination is an important Ecosystem Service since it plays a key role for achieving the sustainable development goals by safeguarding worldwide food production. Thus, conservation of pollination services is a major priority for guaranteeing global food security in the long term. Here we evaluate the crop pollination services in Para state (Eastern Amazon, Brazil) focusing on two questions: (1) What is the economic value of crop production and pollination service in Para? (2) Which municipalities are most dependent on pollination services considering local economies? We found 36 crops produced in the state; 20 (55%) crops are dependent on animal pollinators. In 2016, crop production value (CPV) for Para state was US$ 2.95 billion and total pollination service value (PSV) was US$ 983.2 million, corresponding to 33% of CPV in Para. Highest PSV value crops were acai palm (US$635.6 million), cocoa (US$187.6 million), soybean (US$98.4 million), and watermelon (US$26.1 million), accounting for 96% of Para's PSV. Two municipalities (Medicilandia and Igarape Miri) presented more than 50% of their GDP based on pollination services. In general, we found low crop diversity in the municipalities of Para, suggesting an economic rural vulnerability for the state, mainly supported by the high productions of soy and acai. Pollinator conservation and ecological intensified farming practices are urgent for supporting sustainable development for the state.