Citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay for urban beekeeping: a case study in northern Italy

Recently, urban beekeeping has been recognized as an important activity capable of generating many environmental, economic, and social benefits for society. Urban beekeeping is considered a valuable activity that balances the increase in honey production and urban biodiversity conservation in a sustainable way. However, there is no available literature on citizens’ perceptions and willingness to support urban beekeeping at the local level financially. This study investigated the citizens’ perceptions and willingness to pay (WTP) for urban beekeeping in a case study in Italy. To this end, an online survey was administered with a sample of citizens of the Taino municipality near the Milan metropolitan area, where there is a project to realize an urban apiary. At the end of data collection, 153 citizens completed the questionnaire, corresponding to approximately 5% of inhabitants. The results highlighted that for most respondents, the main benefits provided by urban apiaries are related to the awareness and educational activities on the role of honey bees in the urban environment. Besides, the results showed that 60.1% of respondents are willing to contribute financially to the construction of the municipal apiary through a one-time donation, while the remaining 39.9% said they were not willing to contribute financially, citing reasons for protest. The average WTP was estimated at € 22.21 per person, corresponding to a total value of € 48,742.24. The findings can be considered a starting point to help decision-makers understand the importance of urban beekeeping not only from an environmental but also from a socio-economic point of view.