Conservation in ACTION
Many people have been highlighting the importance of bees lately. Much
of the news has been bad: bees disappearing, crops failing, etc.
Fortunately, while climate change, shifts in agriculture, deforestation,
and other factors have threatened some bee populations, it is possible
for bees to make a comeback. The really good news is we can help.
In Nicaragua, we're alleviating poverty and protecting biodiversity by
reviving the ancient tradition of meliponiculture, the management of
Melipona and
Trigona
bees, as practiced by the Mayans. Wild bees, which nest in hollow trees
and ground cavities, are brought home by beekeepers who maintain
healthy bee colonies and harvest honey and other hive products.
We have sent two Paso Pacífico representatives, Sarah Rudeen and Marcos Caleros to Chiapas to study at the Mexican university
Eco-Sur
to learn about native beekeeping and commercializing bee and honey
products for the benefit of communities. Not only does the honey provide
a valuable source of calories and a means of income for the beekeeper
and his or her family, bees also provide valuable ecosystem services.
Native bees maintain year-round pollination services in dry tropical
forests, like those found in Nicaragua. Bees pollinate valuable cash
crops in rural Nicaragua, and provide an estimated 50% of pollination in
dry forests.
When our newly trained team of meliponiculturists return to Nicaragua,
armed with information from Mexican beekeepers and entomologists, they
will revive a rich cultural history and help individuals and local
cooperatives save local ecosystems and launch new business ventures to
economically empower rural communities.
We are grateful to the
Turner Foundation for their generous support of our beekeeping program.
If you are interested, you can also
make a contribution to our efforts to restore the ancient practice of meliponiculture for poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation.
Beekeeper photos courtesy of Paso Pacífico intern Sarah Rudeen.
