Bees & Trees strengthening conservation and communities in Zambezi

At the end of May, the forestry team of the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), together with beekeeping specialist Dr Ortwin Aschenborn, hosted two days of intensive training in Kongola for beekeepers from the Mudumu North Complex. The initiative was supported by the Dream Fund/COmON Foundation and the Bengo/Kaza Arise projects.

The training focused on harvesting and processing honey and beeswax, followed by a one-day refresher session for newly elected beekeepers. This gave two advanced trainers the chance to step into teaching roles. Beekeepers from Bwabwata National Park also joined, supported through NNF’s Climate Adaptation for Protected Areas (CAPA) initiative – an important step towards collaboration across conservation programmes.

The training forms part of a broader effort to promote alternative livelihoods in Namibia’s community forests through non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as honey. Participants continue to receive essential support, including protective gear and smokers, to ensure safe and effective work. Beekeeping offers communities an income that does not rely on deforestation, helping to preserve forest ecosystems.

In Kongola, NNF-supported beekeepers now use the new Honey Hub to harvest, bottle and process honey, as well as turn beeswax into high-value products like candles, skin lotion and foundation strips. This builds on last year’s training, when beginner beekeepers from Mudumu North Complex first joined the programme. This year, they returned to harvest honey from three hives and process their yield at the Honey Hub – showing clear progress. Two of the advanced beekeepers also took the lead in demonstrating techniques as part of NNF’s “training-the-trainers” approach that strengthens selfsufficiency within local communities.

As forest degradation threatens traditional ways of life, initiatives like Bees and Trees highlight how sustainable resource use can unlock new opportunities, strengthen resilience and keep forests standing.

For more information on this or other projects under the NNF Sustainable Forestry Programme, contact Frances Chase at fchase@nnf.org.na