Forest Protected by Bees (Yes, Bees!), as They Chase Loggers Away

Communities in Malawi are acquiring beehives to scare away loggers and rejuvenate trees in their local forests, after realizing that communities where beekeeping is practiced is significantly less prone to deforestation.

In the village of Mwnekabwe, Bonster Kabaghe, a 36-year-old community health worker, partnered with a friend and started with four beehives in a drive to save the forest and keep loggers away, while sharing their honey with the community to gain trust.

“Some people were threatening us after they couldn’t access the areas where there were beehives,” says Kabaghe of those who used to cut down local trees. “But we noticed this is a plus to us as it means our mission to save the environment is bearing fruit.”

In Kuwirwi-Utoto village, near Nkhata Bay on Lake Malawi, 10 residents formed a committee encouraging the regrowth of local forests through beekeeping, starting with six beehives. They then secured a community development grant of $25,000 from the United Nations Development Programme, which allowed them to acquire another 150 hives, distributed to 15 groups of 300 people each.

“At first you couldn’t see any trees, as fishermen used to cut them down for firewood to preserve their fish,” says Audney Nkhata, a founding member of the committee who says that the initiative has regenerated over 25 sqare kilometers of forest. “Now they either have to endure attacks from the bees or face the law.”