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UNESCO’s Scientific Pilot Initiative on Stingless Beekeeping Empowers Women and Enhances Biodiversity Conservation in Phnom Kulen National Park
Under the UNESCO x Guerlain Women for Bees Program, a scientific pilot initiative on stingless beekeeping and awareness raising on native bee conservation at Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, were successfully implemented as the second phase of its activities in Cambodia.
In an initiative combining biodiversity conservation with women empowerment, UNESCO, in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme (NTFP-EP), Phnom Kulen National Park Authority, and an international expert, has successfully advanced its beekeeping pilot project in Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province. This milestone under the UNESCO x Guerlain Women for Bees Program equipped women at the Phnom Kulen National Park with stingless beekeeping skills to complement their livelihoods and helped safeguard native bee species and biodiversity in the area.
Scientific Pilot Initiative on Stingless Beekeeping
As the second phase of its activities in Cambodia under the program, 15 women from 4 villages (Anlong Thom, Sangke Lak, Kla Khmum, and Ta Penh) were trained in stingless beekeeping technique, also known as meliponiculture, by an international expert. Initially provided with a hive and a bee box each, the women established and expanded bee colonies at their homes, enabling them to engage in sustainable honey harvesting. Beekeepers such as Ms. Bis Bek from Anlong Thom Village and Ms. Chit Nasi from Sangke Laak Village demonstrated extraordinary progress, managing a thriving total of eight colonies each, with the expansion through the capture of wild colonies. Similarly, Ms. Hin Thep from Anlong Thom Village showcased outstanding initiative by building six additional bee boxes for dividing and transferring colonies to expand her apiary. These successes indicate not only the project's practical training effectiveness but also the resilience and resourcefulness of the participating women.
The women beekeepers have shared stories of increased confidence and technical expertise, highlighting their ability to build bee boxes and capture wild colonies. They are looking to expand their colonies further and aspire to successfully harvest the honey and establish it as a source of income.
Raising Awareness on Bee Conservation among the Local Communities, Honey Hunters, School Children
With support and collaboration from the Ministry of Environment, including Siem Reap Provincial Department of Environment, six awareness raising trainings on the importance of bees and bee conservation were organized by NTFP-EP, the project implementing partner, with a total of 288 participants who are park rangers and villagers from the five Community Protected Areas (CPAs) at Phnom Kulen National Park and several other CPAs in the province. Moreover, 1,000 educational leaflets were distributed to villagers and students at the national park who could not attend the trainings, and educational posters were displayed at the National Park Office and CPA Offices. These awareness raising activities promoted the vital role of bees as pollinators and sustainable honey harvesting practices among the local communities.
In addition, a digital marketing training was delivered to 34 participants from the CPAs, familiarizing them with social media account creation and how to use social media to promote and sell community products such as honey online.
Bee conservation trainings by the international expert were also provided to 14 honey hunters and 94 school children at the Phnom Kulen National Park. In the training, the honey hunters acquired knowledge of the biology, importance, threats and conservation measures for the Apis dorsata (Asian giant honeybee) population in their communities. Through half-day workshops, school children from Ta Penh Primary School and Along Thom Secondary School were introduced to species of honeybees, the importance of bees for their environment and livelihoods, and actions they can take to contribute to the protection of bees in their communities.
Introducing Community-Based Apitourism to Local-community Guides
10 local guides from Along Thom and Popel Community Based Ecotourism Centers (CBTCs) were trained on community-based apitourism. Through the training, they gained insights into the apitourism concept, the diversity and biology of bees in the Phnom Kulen National Park, and bee conservation. With the knowledge, they can inform their tourists about bees in their communities and consider incorporating the visits to stingless bee apiaries of the female beekeepers into their eco-tours.
Reflection Workshop: Community Voices and Sharing Experiences from the Women Beekeepers
To assess progress and celebrate achievements, a reflection workshop organized by NTFP-EP was held in Siem Reap on 5 December 2024. Participants included the local people, community leaders, women beekeepers from the first and second phases of the scientific beekeeping pilot activities, park rangers and representatives from the Provincial Department of Environment. The workshop fostered meaningful dialogue on the program’s achievements and its impact on both people and the nature, emphasizing human-nature harmonization.
In the workshop, the participants underscored the significance of the awareness raising trainings conducted in their communities and expressed that they had gained knowledge about the vital role of bees as pollinators for their crops, sustainable honey harvesting techniques and practices essential for bee survival, including avoiding harmful pesticides and conserving the forests that serve as critical bee forage areas.
Three women beekeepers in Phnom Kulen National Park shared with other participants their stingless beekeeping experiences, knowledge and techniques they have learned and applied. They expressed their joy at the success of their beekeeping efforts so far, despite facing some challenges, and held strong hopes for future results. They also demonstrated the confidence to teach others about stingless beekeeping, including how to successfully capture wild colonies. In addition, two former women beekeepers at the Angkor Archaeological Park in the first phase also recounted to other participants about their Apis cerana beekeeping and the challenges they faced. They stated that despite the unfavorable result, they had gained valuable insights into the importance of bees and beekeeping practices.
Looking forward, the participants suggested scaling up the project to other villages surrounding Phnom Kulen National Park. They highlighted the importance of continued monitoring on the stingless beekeeping pilot, additional bee conservation training opportunities, and market development to ensure fair pricing and stronger economic returns for honey products.
The success of UNESCO’s beekeeping project in the Phnom Kulen National Park stands as a fundamental model for integrating biodiversity conservation and women empowerment. By empowering women with knowledge, skills and tools to pursue sustainable livelihoods, the initiative not only contributes to supporting local economy but also the long-term preservation of vital native bee populations.
About UNESCO x Guerlain Women for Bees Program: Activities in Cambodia
Women for Bees is a state-of-the-art female beekeeping entrepreneurship program launched by UNESCO and Guerlain. Implemented in UNESCO designated biosphere reserves around the world, the program promotes women’s empowerment together with biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
In Cambodia, UNESCO started the first phase of the program with the launch of the “” in July 2021, a first-of-its-kind study of the beekeeping ecosystem in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve (TSBR), with participation from Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Ly, Minister of Tourism, European Union Ambassador, Angelina Jolie, the godmother of the programme, and representatives from Ministry of Environment.
Following the assessment, in 2022, UNESCO conducted several beekeeping trainings as pilot initiatives and trainings on native bee conservation and apitourism at selected areas within the TSBR. Those include:
- Apis cerana beekeeping training for 6 selected women and apitourism training for 13 tour guides in Angkor Archeological Park, Siem Reap Province
- Stingless beekeeping training for 5 selected women and native honeybee conservation training for the 5 beekeeping trainees and 6 rangers in Samlout District, Battambang Province
- Rafter beekeeping and Apis dorsata conservation trainings for 7 honey hunters from Bak Prea Village, Battambang Province and 5 honey hunters and 2 park rangers from Stung Sen Core Area, Kampong Thom Province.
These activities aim to build capacity and promote sustainable beekeeping practices, native bee conservation, and women’s empowerment.
In the second phase, upon concluding the feasibility assessment at the Phnom Kulen National Park, Siem Reap Province, UNESCO worked closely with the Ministry of Environment, a local NGO and other stakeholders on advancing scientific beekeeping practices in the Community Protected Areas of the national park. Activities included providing stingless beekeeping training to 15 selected women, raising awareness on bee conservation to nearly 400 villagers, school children and honey hunters through direct trainings and to over 1,000 people indirectly through leaflets and posters, and training 10 local guides on community-based apitourism.
Furthermore, 91鶹Ʒ developed a roadmap which outlines the status of honeybee conservation, honey production, value chain and trade, policy and regulation, bee conservation and the honey-value chain, as well as recommendations. Various stakeholders were consulted for the development of the roadmap, including beekeepers, honey producers, honey traders, NGOs and representatives from Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Tourism and other ministries. The finalized roadmap will guide the preparation of a national plan on sustainable beekeeping and native honeybee conservation in Cambodia.
UNESCO will continue to actively collaborate with the Royal Government of Cambodia, particularly the Ministry of Environment, to promote sustainable beekeeping and native bee conservation and enhance the marketing for Cambodian honey products.
More Information:
Rapid Assessment: Beekeeping Ecosystem at Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve
