Bees for Development Journal
74
NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
SAVE INDIGENOUS BEES IN EUROPE One of the last remaining populations of the European honeybee Apis mellifera mellifera is threatened. These are the Black Bees on Læsø, an isolated Danish Island that lies west of Sweden in the Kattegat Sea. In 1992 Denmark signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity, and the law was passed for Læsø Island to become a protected area where only beekeeping with the Black Bees is allowed. After this, beekeepers who kept other bees claimed compensation, although this claim was later dropped. They also took their case to the European Court in Luxemburg, but were unsuccessful. The Court ruled that the Preservation Order on the Læsø Black Bee was a requirement of The Danish Government, and that no other race of bees should be allowed on to the Island. Today on Læsø there are about 30 beekeepers using the Black Bees,
and just a few who continue to fight the ban and illegally use other bees, and even import bees. This has led to the recent introduction of Varroa and Acarapis mites.
NEWS FROM NJIRO
market situation of honey in Arusha and Moshi towns. Our research considered public awareness, availability of honey, extent of use and sources of honey. Of 173 people interviewed in Arusha, 166 (96%) had knowledge of honey. In Moshi 200 people were interviewed and 160 (80%) had knowledge of honey. The availability of honey in shops, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, general markets and pharmacies in Arusha town was only 44%, while the availability in Moshi town was even lower at 14%. Usage is still low: out of 166 respondents who had knowledge of honey, 54% used honey in one way or another in Arusha. Honey is used mainly as food (35%), medicine (14%) and others (5%), which includes rituals, brewing and cosmetics. In Moshi, out of those 160 who had knowledge of honey, only 30% used honey in one way or another, mostly as a medicine (14%) or food (11%). There is a great need to double honey and beeswax production. Increased honey production should be coupled with deliberate measures to increase the local demand for honey. For example, if the annual per capita consumption of honey was just 150g, 5,000 tonnes would be needed.
Between 1993 and 1997 Bees for Development worked with Njiro Wildlife Research Centre in Arusha, Tanzania on the DFID-funded research project 'Sustainable beekeeping for Africa'. Angela Mwakatobe and Charles Mlingwa sent the following update about the Centre's recent activities. Njiro Wildlife Research Centre conducted research on how beekeeping could contribute to the national economy and now we are proposing ways to improve the industry. Tanzania is endowed with natural resources suitable for the nourishment of the beekeeping industry, particularly the presence of miombo woodlands, with tree species Brachystegia, Combretum, Isoberlina, Julbernadia and Terminalia. The industry in Tanzania has the capacity to produce about 138,000 tonnes of honey worth TZS138 billion per year. An estimated annual production potential for beeswax of 9,200 tonnes is valued at TZS23 billion per year. Although Tanzania is well known for honey, beeswax is also important: the current annual production of 324 tonnes may represent only 3.5% of the potential. As a starting point towards the expansion of the bee products industry, we carried out a survey to assess the
Ironically, it was only last September that SICCAM, (The International Organisation on the preservation of the Northern European Black Bee) held its biannual conference on Læsø, to focus attention on the need to protect this special bee population. SICCAM passed a resolution calling for this unique population of bees to receive the protection it needs. Now however, The Danish Minister of Agriculture, Hans Christian Schmidt, has decided that it is in the interests of human liberty for the few, vocal, beekeepers who request it, to be allowed to take in other races of bees to the Island, and that only a small part
€1 = TZS1,420, UK£1 = TZS2,064 US$1 = TZS1,104
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of the Island will be a protected area for the Black Bees. The Island of Læsø is only 25 km long; therefore, as every beekeeper will understand, it is not possible to keep the populations of bees separate. The Danish Beekeepers Federation has fought hard to protect the black bees, even though its own government subsidy is at stake. The majority of beekeepers in Denmark want the Black Bees on Læsø to be protected. This is a precious resource, not just for Denmark but also in world terms. We are asking readers of this Journal to assist them in their campaign by writing or e-mailing the Danish Minister of Agriculture and Food. His contact details are: Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Hans Christian Schmidt, Holbergssgade 2, DK 1057 Copenhagen, Denmark or e-mail fvm@fvm.dk
BEEKEEPER'S SAFARI TO TANZANIA 7-2 21 September 2005 In partnership with Njiro Wildlife Research Centre The programme will include – Village beekeepers – African honeybees and stingless bees – Markets – National Parks – Apiaries in West Kilimanjaro – Local style beekeeping – Top-bar hive apiaries – Ngorongoro Crater – Lake Manyara and the tree lions – Elephants, zebras and leopards – And much more...
Interested? Contact safari@beesfordevelopment.org or see our website
