Protected forests provide indigenous people with higher income

In Bolivia, BOS+ and local partner APCOB protect and restore the dry forests while simultaneously revitalising the beekeeping tradition of the indigenous communities. The local population indeed earns more income if they preserve the forests, which are the suppliers of nectar.

It is no secret: biodiversity is under severe pressure all over the world. It is crucial to protect our natural environment as much as possible, and that is the aim of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

But the question arises: can we reconcile ecology and economy? In other words, can we protect nature while ensuring that the local population can sustain their livelihoods?

Dry forests

In Bolivia, this issue is very tangible. The dry forests in the east – in the Chiquitania region – are a special ecosystem: tropical forests that experience a long dry season each year during which the trees shed their leaves. They are home to unique tree species, animals, and plants, and serve as the gateway to the Amazon rainforest.

However, these dry forests are highly susceptible to deforestation and wildfires. In 2019, devastating fires burned over 5 million hectares of forest, wiping out a vital habitat for birds, mammals, and insects, including pollinators.

At the same time, indigenous communities living there struggle to survive. They collect honey from wild, stingless bees known as meliponini. Unfortunately, their harvesting methods are quite careless, resulting in the death of most bees and frequent contamination of the honey.

Fruit trees

To address this, the local NGO APCOB, which supports indigenous communities, launched a project in collaboration with the Belgian organisation BOS+. The aim is to restore the dry forests while simultaneously improving the livelihoods of the local population.

On the one hand, they planted fruit trees that thrive in the typical conditions of a dry forest. These trees provide fruit for the local population and serve as a source of food – nectar – for the meliponini bees.

So more trees mean more bees, and more bees lead to increased pollination of plants and trees, resulting in fruit set. This, combined with the protection of the remaining forests, promotes the natural regeneration of the forest in areas where it has been lost, as animals living in the remaining forests spread seeds to deforested or burnt areas.

Stingless bees

On the other hand, APCOB taught 50 families from three indigenous communities fairly simple techniques for keeping bees themselves. They can now multiply the stingless bees and expand the colonies. The bees are housed in simple beehives made from local materials.

In this way, much more honey can be harvested without putting the nest at risk during collection. Moreover, the honey is pure and of high quality. The families also received support to sell their forest honey.

Forest honey provides a significant additional source of income. Honey from stingless bees – renowned for its medicinal properties and high nutritional value – is in high demand in Bolivia. Currently, there is a shortage, so honey has to be imported from Argentina.

It is also a plus that these stingless bees do not sting. Women traditionally enjoy working with them, and children and young people can easily participate in beekeeping activities.

By reviving the local beekeeping tradition, BOS+ and APCOB managed to provide indigenous communities with an additional source of income. At the same time, they expanded the dry forests and motivated the population to protect their environment. After all, the forests provide the nectar allowing them to harvest and sell the highly sought-after honey.

BOS+ is a loyal partner of the Belgian Development Cooperation, which is managed by the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs.

Text based on the article ‘Uitbreiding veerkrachtige bossen vergroot bijenpopulatie in Bolivia’ (Expansion of Resilient Forests Increases Bee Population in Bolivia) published by BOS+.