Application of a Quality-Specific Environmental Risk Index for the Location of Hives in Areas with Different Pollution Impacts

Honeybees and hive products have long been recognized as excellent bio-indicators, as they provide valuable information on the state of the environments concerned. As yet, however, no tool is capable of contextually assessing the level of pollution of different environmental matrices in order to create maps of areas in which to place hives. In this paper, a possible method of creating a regional map to support the implementation of targeted monitoring plans on beekeeping is described. We obtained and identified related-activity pressure factors, which were subsequently combined by means of a multi-criteria approach through the analytic hierarchy process method (AHP). The different levels used were drawn up by first attributing qualitative values; these were converted into quantitative values through scoring elaborations and pair comparisons and then elaborated and standardized by means of different techniques in order to create an index with a spatial distribution of five risk classes throughout the region. To verify the correct execution of the procedure, a consistency ratio method was implemented on this index and validated the reliability of the application as the main source of information for sampling activities on beekeeping products. Creation of the specific environmental risk index enabled us to construct a map displaying the areas of greatest impact on beekeeping activities and a representation of the cumulative effects generated by the different pollutants in the air, water, soil and subsoil compartments. This index may, therefore, constitute an essential tool to support beekeepers in choosing sites for their apiaries.