Movement for conserving bees in the Western Ghats

Ho ho ho honey Bee Supporters,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in advance! As we embrace the festive spirit, we are filled with gratitude for your unwavering support toward our honeybee conservation campaign. This holiday season, let us take a moment to celebrate the incredible contributions of honeybees—nature’s little Santas—who gift us pollination, honey, and countless ecosystem services.

At AERF, we continually strive to innovate and implement unique ways to conserve biodiversity and habitats. For this campaign, our efforts have been intertwined with the lives and knowledge of the "Mahadeo Koli" community from India. This indigenous group, residing in close proximity to the forests for generations, possesses a profound understanding of the interdependent relationships within their ecosystem. Their traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and fauna, combined with sustainable practices, has been a cornerstone of our conservation approach.

The Mahadeo Koli community harvests honey from various species, including the Asian Honeybee (Apis cerana), Dwarf Honeybee (Apis florea), and Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata). Their skill in locating bee colonies is truly remarkable, as they track the bees’ flight paths from flowers such as Hirda (Terminalia chebula) and Jambhul (Syzygium cumini). Using non-destructive methods, they harvest wild honey sustainably, preserving the natural balance of the forest.

This wild, crude honey has significant market demand, creating an excellent opportunity for a sustainable intervention. By establishing a supply chain for honey harvested from managed bee boxes, we aim to mitigate the risks of overharvesting and ensure the long-term sustainability of bee colonies. This initiative not only protects these essential pollinators but also provides the Mahadeo Koli community with economic opportunities—a true WIN-WIN solution.

With your support, AERF is installing 20 bee boxes for Asian Honeybees (Apis cerana) and training community members in their management. These boxes represent a sustainable approach to honey production and colony growth. A pilot project has already demonstrated success: one parent colony was maintained for three years, resulting in increased colony size and the establishment of two new generations in additional boxes—effectively creating three colonies from one. Building on this success, we aim to scale up to 40 bee boxes within the coming year.

This holiday season, as you gather with loved ones, remember that honeybees are a vital part of the circle of life. They’re not just Santa’s helpers in delivering nature’s gifts but also an inspiration for how we can work together to create harmony between humanity and the environment.

Once again, thank you for your generous support and encouragement. We will keep you updated on the progress of the new bee boxes and the stingless bee colonies we are nurturing. Together, we are making a difference, one buzz at a time.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year 2025!

KEEP BUZZING!

Dear Bee Supporters,

We sincerely apologize for the delay in sharing our latest update with you. We understand how important it is to stay informed, and we regret any inconvenience this may have caused. Please know that we deeply value your support and are committed to keeping you in the loop moving forward.

As you know, we have launched our bee conservation campaign alongside our ongoing mangrove conservation efforts in the Western Coastal region of India. The AERF team has been actively collaborating with local communities to protect mangroves on private land. However, several challenges—including a lack of awareness, poor bund maintenance, migration of younger generations to cities, neglect by local governments and policymakers, and rising sea levels—have led to significant saltwater intrusion. This has greatly affected the land adjacent to the sea and creeks, which were once fertile paddy fields that provided a primary source of income for many local farmers. Unfortunately, this unchecked saltwater ingress has rendered these lands barren, allowing mangroves to encroach.

While the research community may see the increase in mangrove cover as a positive outcome, it poses a significant challenge for local communities who have lost their arable land and main source of livelihood. Additionally, strict government regulations on mangrove cutting have further complicated the situation for these communities. Considering these circumstances, it became crucial to engage with the local community and persuade them to conserve mangroves and the associated biodiversity, particularly bees and smaller taxa, despite the loss of their land and livelihoods.

As the saying goes, "The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity." At AERF, we have always prioritized working with communities to conserve landscapes and biodiversity. Viewing this challenge as an opportunity, we launched our "Incentive-Based Private Mangrove Conservation" initiative in the Mandangad block of Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, India. We successfully convinced local communities to enter into agreements with AERF to conserve their private mangrove land for five years. In return, as a token of appreciation, we provided financial compensation for their loss. Through our efforts and the trust communities have placed in AERF, we have successfully secured more than 500 acres of private mangrove land in this region for conservation over the next five years.

These conserved areas will serve as our primary sites for research, management, and conservation over this period. By protecting these spaces, we have ensured the preservation of numerous flowering mangrove trees, which are crucial food sources for our stingless bees and other pollinators. Additionally, the towering mangrove trees will offer shelter to a diverse range of terrestrial and aquatic species. The AERF team is committed to expanding this initiative, aiming to include more mangrove areas under our conservation agreements. We also plan to implement management practices, such as planting Karanj tree saplings (Pongamia pinnata), a native salt-tolerant species with abundant inflorescences and high economic value.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for your unwavering support. Your belief in our mission has been instrumental in driving our efforts forward. Together, we have made significant strides in conserving our precious ecosystems and safeguarding biodiversity.

Your contributions have not only enabled us to launch and sustain critical conservation initiatives but also inspired us to continue pushing boundaries. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to our cause and for being a vital part of our journey.

Thank you for standing with us. We look forward to achieving even greater milestones together.