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Biodiversity in Nepal: Protecting the Bees

January 27, 2014

The European honeybee is considered industrious and efficient and produces significantly more honey than its Nepali counterpart. That's why it was introduced into Nepal in the 1990s - with unforeseen, far-reaching consequences.

https://p.dw.com/p/1AxW7

Along with it came parasites that have decimated the indigenous Asiatic honeybee stocks. Biologist and bee expert Uma Partap is fighting to save the local honeybee and at the same time is teaching farmers modern breeding methods. The cultivation of monocultures and use of pesticides have also contributed to the Asiatic bee's decline in the country. But local bee stocks are now slowly recovering, thanks to workshops held by Uma Partap from the International Centre of Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu.