Mangrove Beekeeping

Despite their essential role as nurseries for marine biodiversity, carbon sinks and natural bulwarks against coastal erosion and extreme climatic events, mangroves are being largely deforested for agriculture, aquaculture and urban development. This project focuses on developing a beekeeping activity based on mangroves to encourage local populations to conserve them. With a technical training program targeting women first and foremost, the project will generate a sustainable alternative source of income, and the pollination associated with this activity will promote the good health of an ecosystem crucial to the food and physical security of these coastal communities.

Mangroves are one of the most productive marine ecosystems on Earth. At the land-sea interface, these forests provide food, breeding grounds and nursery sites for a wide variety of marine organisms, including many species of commercial interest and juvenile reef fish. They sequester up to 4 times more carbon per hectare in their rich soils than tropical rainforests, and are coastal communities’ first line of defence against storms, floods and hurricanes. Yet these habitats are shrinking at an alarming rate: 20-35% have already disappeared since the 1980s, mainly due to rising sea levels and human activities on the coast (urban development, aquaculture, mining, agriculture and overexploitation of timber, fish and shellfish). Guatemala is no exception in this context, and the global pandemic there has made coastal communities even more vulnerable. The project Mangrove Beekeeping aims to strengthen their resilience over the medium and long term, while helping to protect mangrove ecosystems. With a technical training program targeting women in particular, the project will provide a sustainable alternative source of income for the Barra Sarstún community via honey production. Long-term mangrove conservation will be encouraged through a campaign to raise awareness of the ecological importance of mangroves and their many services to human populations.