A new and safer community beekeeping project on Príncipe.
Inside the bee hive
On the small island of Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea, a community beekeeping project is empowering communities to obtain honey in a way that doesn't risk their lives. This initiative is already restoring forests and enriching livelihoods.
Traditionally, honey collectors on Príncipe Island extracted honey from wild colonies found in the forest by burning their nests. Not only does this method kill most of the bees and risk starting forest fires, but it is also dangerous for the honey collectors themselves, who must scale tall trees with minimal safety equipment.
That’s why CEPF grantee Flora & Fauna International, in partnership with local non-profit organization Fundação Principe Trust (FPT), is helping to support COOPAPIP, the only community beekeeping organization on the Island, located in the community of Ponta do Sol. The CEPF-funded project, which began in July 2017, expands on a successful pilot project by FPT that built apiaries for the safe production of honey. Read the rest of this interesting story here.
