The people of Mondolkiri Province, Cambodia, rely on a number of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for their livelihoods and daily routines, and the sweetest of all NTFPs, of course, is honey. A new practice of sustainable collection has been introduced, as well as education on forest protection.

The traditional way of collecting honey from the forest was to climb a tree and smoke the bees out of the hive. This drove the honeybees away and the entire hive would be collected and brought out of the forest. However, this method only allows for one-time collection.

“WWF facilitated a training on sustainable honey harvesting and proper honey handling. WWF also helped the honey hunters organize themselves into an association.” said Amy Maling, Community Extension Team Technical Advisor, WWF’s Eastern Plains Landscape Project. The honey hunters have learned to only collect a portion of the hive containing honey, leaving the queen to rebuild her fortress. This method allows hunters to harvest from one hive two or three times in the three-month honey season from March to May. This also allows the honeycombs to fully mature producing a higher quality product. When the hives stay, so do the bees. In the past, bees would leave the area after their hives had been completely collected, forcing the honey hunters further into the forest, and sometimes even causing the entire village to move. When the bees stay, the village is able to have a more stable location to develop.

The new buzz around the community is there is a market for sustainable honey. The honey association has started marketing their products. WWF, in partnership with other organizations, have assisted in developing the brand, label and packaging of the honey products. “Mondolkiri Wild Honey” is now being marketed in different shops in Mondulkiri Province and in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

For tours to Mondolkiri contact: info@asia-adventures.com

Edited from: WWF The Mekong Messenger (22-9-08)