Today marks World Bee Day, a reminder that healthy landscapes depend on pollinators. Bees play a vital role in supporting forests, biodiversity, food production and rural livelihoods. When bee populations decline, the effects are felt across entire ecosystems.
In Zambia’s Mulobezi District, forests and bees have supported communities for generations. Bees pollinate crops and wild plants in the surrounding landscape, while honey and beeswax provide food and income for local families.
But traditional hive harvesting methods can damage trees and destroy bee colonies, placing additional pressure on forests already facing deforestation and degradation. As forests disappear, so too do the bees and the benefits they provide to both people and nature.
Across the Mutungo, Kamanga and Nawinda Chiefdoms, communities and partners are working together to change this. Through training and support, local beekeepers are building modern hives that do not require trees to be ringbarked or felled. Safer harvesting methods are also helping bee colonies survive and recover naturally.
The work forms part of a broader effort to promote sustainable land use and reduce pressure on forests. By protecting forests, communities help protect pollinators, strengthen livelihoods and support healthier, more resilient landscapes for people and wildlife alike.
This work is supported by the Swedish Postcode Lottery’s Dream Fund project and forms part of the Kafue-Zambezi Community Forest (REDD+) project. Implemented by the Government of Zambia and the Barotse Royal Establishment, in partnership with BioCarbon Partners and Peace Parks Foundation, the project supports the sustainable management of forests while helping reduce emissions linked to deforestation and forest degradation.
Stay tuned to PeaceParks.TV for more stories from the field.
