Beautiful island under threat from global warming getting help from bees
People on a beautiful chain of South Pacific islands are being taught beekeeping skills to help save them from the devastating effects of climate change.
The Solomon Islands are a tropical paradise but rising sea levels driven by global warming have seen five islands sink under the waves in the 21st century.
Now a pioneering initiative is teaching farmers on the islands to nurture tens of thousands of honeybees that restore protective ecosystems and help provide an income.
In the remote Malaita Province, many communities live close to the coastline where they face rising sea-levels, saltwater intrusion into crops, contamination of fresh water, and extreme weather patterns.
Despite contributing very little to global carbon emissions, the Solomon Islands has the world’s second highest risk of climate induced disasters such as floods, cyclones and rising sea-levels.
The bees start with a twelve-hour journey by boat from the capital Honiara. At their destination, local farmers have been trained to care for the bees which helps them diversify their income from farming and environmentally harmful practices like logging, to producing honey that they can sell at local markets.
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The clever bees also pollinate vital mangroves which store carbon, produce food and act as natural buffers to cyclones and storms and protect coastal areas – along with wildlife and food sources such as fish and crabs.
The initiative was launched by Save the Children and local tribal-based organisation Mai-Ma’asina Green Belt.
Local farmer and mother of six Alison, 43, who has completed the beekeeper training, said she felt the impact of climate change first-hand when their home by the water was destroyed by a cyclone, which have increased in severity over the years.
Alison said: “One time when I was just married into this family a strong wind blew down all the houses in our area.
“Our own home was blown down too. When our house collapsed everything was blown away, all the walling and windows were blown away. The floor was the only part of the house that remained.”
The changing weather in the Solomon Islands has also impacted on the amount of food Alison’s family are able to produce. Sometimes they don’t have enough to eat.
She added, “We experience change in weather – like rain. It sometimes rains for a week, this kills our crops because of water from heavy rain. I wonder what my kids are going to eat for their bodies and health.”
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The changing weather in the Solomon Islands has also impacted on the amount of food Alison’s family are able to produce. Sometimes they don’t have enough to eat.
She added, “We experience change in weather – like rain. It sometimes rains for a week, this kills our crops because of water from heavy rain. I wonder what my kids are going to eat for their bodies and health.”
Alison was one of the ten participants selected by her community to take part in the bee-keeper training, take charge of looking after the hives and grow the bee colonies on behalf of the community. Alison’s four-year-old daughter Lucy also joined her at some of the training to learn more about bees.
Before taking part in beekeeper training, Alison had never seen bees before and was initially quite scared of being stung, but by the end of the training, which included how to keep safe, she was looking forward to having a new source of income.
She said: “The first time I saw honey bees coming out of the box, I was very frightened. I wanted to run away; I did not want to stand close. I wanted to watch from a distance.
“With honeybee training I know if I do it well, I am able to earn money for my family.”
Save the Children is calling on higher-income countries such as the UK to increase climate funding to support children who are at the sharp end of the climate crisis.
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