Programs

Beekeeping and conservation
Biól. Aníbal Ramírez Soto
selvas_ecol@pronaturaveracruz.org

Introduction

The great variety of ecosystems and living creatures in Mexico classify it as one of the “megadiverse” countries of the world (World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 2000). However, we have clearly not appreciated the full value of the biological and cultural wealth in which we live and of which we are a part. Rather, we are devastating our natural resources, especially our woodlands and rainforests, and we are at the same time eroding our cultural identity .

There are many reasons why the rate of deforestation in Mexico fluctuates between 1200 and 2000 square miles/year. Soil salinization, desertification, climate change (local, regional, and global), land erosion, shrinking available water resources, and aesthetic deterioration of our landscapes are just the most obvious consequences of environmentally harmful production practices in our country.

Veracruz is Mexico’s third most biologically diverse state, being home to 14 of the 32 types of vegetation found in all of the country. As such, it reflects what has occurred in the rest of the national territory, as well as in other countries. More than 75% of the rainforests and woodlands has been razed in order to use the land for cattle ranching and sugar cane production. Approximately 33% of the runoff is concentrated here and more than half of these bodies of water are polluted either from sedimentation due to the leveling of lands at higher altitudes or from industrial and agroindustrial waste. To turn this situation around and conserve what still remains requires the timely intervention of many social actors.

One of the ways that Pronatura Veracruz seeks to encourage conservation is by assigning economic value to ecosystems. There are several approaches and techniques for evaluating an ecosystem’s worth based on the environmental goods and services it provides as well as the primary value of its resources. Studies have shown that people value an object when they become aware of its usefulness for development or for simply satisfying their basic need for food, clothing, construction materials, etc. Pronatura Veracruz, having done the necessary ecological research and planning, has concluded that it is imperative to organize pilot projects that offer economic alternatives to communities wishing to preserve their natural resources and protect the ecology of their farms and woodlands. Therefore, we presented the project, “Beekeeping and Community Tourism: Conservation-Compatible Alternatives in the Rio Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico Watershed” to the Grupo ADO, which made funds available to implement it in Veracruz.

Purpose

To utilize beekeeping and community tourism to add economic and ecological value in order to contribute to the protection of presently preserved ecosystems

Objectives

1. To constitute a “Nucleus of Empowerment” of professionals in the areas of beekeeping and community tourism with a focus on conservation and processing the information and experience generated.
2. To conduct workshops and work meetings on beekeeping and community tourism involving beekeepers from the project and others from nearby beekeeper associations.
3. To involve members of the target community in building an inter-regional network of beekeeper conservationists who share the goal of promoting technical cooperation and solidarity, and the philosophy of defending and properly valuing Nature.
4. To train members of this network in seeking out marketing channels for their organic products and also in administration and accounting to assure the economic future of the network.
5. To construct a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the central part of the state that maps the region’s landscape features, from the mangroves of La Mancha to the oyamel fir forests on the mountainsides of Cofre de Perote National Park; and to georeference honey analysis with vegetation type and soil use.
6. To make known the results of the project through the written media, forums, and events related to beekeeping, community tourism, and conservation.

The process of choosing the beneficiaries

Three rural communities have been chosen as beneficiaries. Each has the potential to develop a project that focuses on the economic valuation of woodlands, rainforests, and agroecosystems. The goal was to link ecotourism activity with beekeeping so that beekeeping becomes an important tourism product, and serves as a powerful tool for environmental education in primary and secondary schools, as well as in universities.

The rural communities working for the conservation of nature that are currently participating in the project are:

• La Mancha, Actopan Municipality
• Chavarrillo, Emiliano Zapata Municipality.
• Pacho Nuevo, Emiliano Zapata Municipality

A participant selection process was carried out in each of these communities. Above all we were looking at the level of interest and the abilities of the applicants and were guided by the following profile:

• Male or female
• Active
• Sensitive
• Creative
• Constructive
• With manual dexterity
• Fluent in reading and writing
• Having private or communal lands with natural vegetation or a diversified agricultural ecosystem
• Time availability
• Availability for travel; open to getting to know new places and people
• Nature lover

The nine people listed below by location were chosen and will participate in the project during the six technical training workshops:

PACHO NUEVO (Emiliano Zapata Municipality)

• Oliva Demetrio Baltazar
• Eduardo Torres Hernández
• Benito Martínez Rivera

CHAVARRILLO (Emiliano Zapata Municipality)

• Erasmo Ferto Díaz
• Severino Ruiz Castro
• Braulio Ruiz Linares

LA MANCHA (Actopan Municipality)

• David Díaz Romero
• Enrique Romero Dorantes
• Adán Vez Lira

Our strategy was to design technical training workshops based on the participants’ abilities and knowledge of beekeeping, which is vital to successfully carrying out such a delicate activity. As for community tourism, two of the three groups (La Mancha and Chavarrillo) already have broad experience in serving the needs of clients and putting together ecotourism packages.

Workshop I. “Introduction to Beekeeping”

This workshop had both a theoretical and a practical component. The theoretical part took up the following themes:

• History of Beekeeping in the World
• History of Beekeeping in Mexico
• General biology of the honey bee
• Honey bee reproduction
• Bee biogeography
• Africanization of the honey bee
• Beekeeping flora of temperate climates
• Beekeeping flora of semi-hot climates
• Beekeeping flora of hot climates
• Honey bee products

If you would like to obtain any of the workshop presentations, please contact us.

Workshop II. “The benefits of honey”

This workshop also had a theoretical and a practical component. The theoretical part took up the following themes:

• Types of honey
• The importance of honey
• Honey production techniques
• Calendars and key dates in honey production
• Health measures that must be employed in honey production

Workshop III. “Pollen”

Pollen is another one of the beehive products that is very valuable to humanity. Natural ecosystems benefit from bee pollination. By carrying pollen among various trees and plants of the same species, bees perform activity of great environmental importance. This workshop took up the following themes:

• Description of pollen
• Pollen contamination
• Pollen in bee therapy
• Preparation of artificial food with pollen
• How to harvest pollen
• Hive placement
• Choosing a nucleus

Our practical activities included filling previously treated hive bodies. To do this we visited the best breeding stock available and brought back fertile queen bees from Nayarit because the bees in this state have the best genetics in terms of productivity.

Workshop IV. "Propolis"

Propolis is another beehive marvel. Bees make it from tree resin and use it to disinfect their colonies and for waterproofing, as well as to control humidity and fungus inside the hive. Human society benefits greatly from this product through its pharmacological use in the manufacture of syrups, and various medications for stimulating the immune system and combating respiratory illnesses. The following subjects were studied in this workshop :

• Description of propolis
• Methods and techniques for extracting propolis
• Types of propolis producing plants and their identification
• The use of propolis in bee therapy
• Special theme: natural and artificial enemies of bees
• Field trip to identify important beekeeping flora in coastal ecosystems (La Mancha, Veracruz)
• Making propolis trap

Workshop V. “Pollination: human ecology and economy”

Pollination is the natural process whereby various natural agents transport pollen from one plant to another. Bees are excellent pollinators and it is estimated that they pollinate some 40% of forest trees. Many agricultural crops also benefit indirectly from this service. In neighboring countries such as the United States and Canada, as well as in the European Union, there exist economic compensations for beekeepers who bring their hives to designated croplands and forests. In northern Mexico most beehives are used to pollinate of apples, pears, tomatoes, etc. For this reason, it is important to promote beekeeping for pollination in Veracruz, as well as for honey, pollen, and propolis. In addition to practical sessions on pollination, the following themes were studied:

• The ecology of pollination
• Pollination of commercial Veracruz crops
• Examples of the benefits of pollination on various crops

Workshop VI. "Bee Tourism and the Conservation of Nature"

Bee tourism is another component of the project that was developed in parallel with beekeeping training. It consists of bringing groups of tourists to the bee yards for a first-hand close-up view of the marvelous world of bees, as well as the benefits they provide us, both in terms of food and environmental services. The workshop approached bee tourism as a tourist product for which it is necessary to do publicity and special promotions, as well as guarantee a maximum level of security for visitors. Bee tourism also involves environmental education activities for children and schools in the communities that benefit from the project, as well as for visitors. The presentations dealt with the following topics :

• Bees and ecosystems: Will bees disappear?
• Summary of previous workshops
• Environmental interpretation
• Bee tourism

Project continuation - Objectives

Thanks to the continued financial support of Grupo ADO, beekeeping training will continue in 2007, reinforcing the knowledge acquired in 2006 and moving on to more advanced subject matter. This year’s objectives are:

• To increase honey, pollen, and propolis production through the teaching of migratory beekeeping and hive division techniques.
• To link beekeepers with national and international fair trade networks and value-added ecological product markets.
• To become self-sufficient in the production of queen bees of satisfactory genetic quality.
• To encourage the transformation of beehive products into additional value-added products.
• To analyze the relationship between the type of honey and the ecosystem where the bee yards are located (information from the UNAM Institute of Geology, Melisopalinology laboratory).
• To expand ecotourism and environmental education offerings for different sectors of society (businesses, universities, primary and secondary schools, national and international tourism)

How to participate in the project

There are various ways to support this initiative:

• Direct and online donations
• Volunteer work
• Buying or helping to sell the bee products of the community groups
• Giving assistance to API-TURISTICOS tours in Chavarrillo and in La Mancha
• Donating beekeeping equipment (veils, hive bodies, wax, wire, smokers, etc.)
• If you have beekeeping experience, and would like to share it, we invite you to be an advisor to our community groups.
• If you are a landowner in central Veracruz state, and your land has beekeeping potential, it would be a great help to us to be able to place bee yards on your land to produce honey.

For more information on this project, you may contact Aníbal Ramírez at Pronatura Veracruz, or write to the following email addresses:

Pauline Charpentier

Ricardo Quiróz Reyes