Bees on guard - tiny insects protect african elephants
Are you fascinated by bees? Do you love elephants? The Kasiisi Project Citizen Science project "Bees on Guard" contributes to the conservation of both these species around Kibale National Park, Uganda in partnership with local beekeeping co-operatives, the Busiriba Beekeeping and Conservation Association and Conservation to Coexist. Elephants are magnificent and fascinating, but also enormously destructive, bringing them into frequent conflict with their human neighbors. When faced with the destruction of an entire maize crop, subsistence farmers, struggling to make ends meet, are not supporters of elephant conservation. This is where bees come in. African honey bees, tiny as they are, have ferocious stings and elephants avoid them. When farmers string beehives along wires, forming "Bee Fences" to defend their fields, elephants look elsewhere for food. But in order to deter elephants bee colonies need to be strong and healthy, a challenge during the wet season. Active apiaries require regular maintenance and dealing with bees fierce enough to drive off elephants requires the right equipment, with costs beyond the reach of these beekeepers. This is where you can help. You will be in great company. National Geographic, Akron Zoo and Oklahoma City Zoo have all assisted us in getting this program off the ground, but now we need to reach more farmers. We are running a GoFundMe campaign to raise the money needed to train and equip 15 more beekeeper associations so that their apiaries support healthy bee colonies, produce honey to supplement family incomes, and are active enough to save the lives of elephants.
If you wish to make your donation a gift we can help there too. Just e-mail us at elizabethaross@me.com and we can send your recipient a card.
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The Kasiisi Project's Improved Cookstove Initiative is one of 10 finalists selected from over 200 entries to Solution Search's Climate Change needs Behavior Change competition. Two prizes of $25,000 will be awarded to the Judges' Choice (selected by Solution Search's panel) and People's Choice (recipient of most votes).
The Kasiisi Project is the first and currently only program in Africa (that bee in the middle of the map is us!) to join Broodminders – the Citizen Science Project that seeks to monitor hive conditions all over the world.
Broodminders are placed in the hives and constantly record temperature and humidity. This information is regularly downloaded onto tablets and then uploaded to the cloud, where it becomes available to everyone engaged in the project. |
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The Kasiisi Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to the Kasiisi Project are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Kasiisi Project's tax identification number is 54-2195079. |