HONEY-BADGER FRIENDLY INITIATIVE

Aim

To minimize the conflict between badgers and commercial beekeepers in South Africa and provide positive incentives for "Badger-Friendly " beekeeping.

Sponsored by: 

Leisure Kitchens, The Carnivore Conservation Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, The Green Trust an associated trust of WWF-SA supported by Nedbank Green, and the Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa.

Supported by the  South African Bee Industry Organisation and Western Cape Nature Conservation Board

                    With special thanks to Bel Porto School for their donation 

The badger-beekeeper extension programme and the "Badger- friendly initiative"  arose as a result of the survey completed by K.S. Begg in 2001 for the Carnivore Conservation Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust. It is a  joint initiative by the beekeeping associations, the South African Bee Industry Organisation, and various conservation bodies. 

Executive Summary:

• Beekeepers play a vital role in agriculture, contributing crop pollination and products worth billions of rand to the South African economy.    

• The honey badger is legally protected and listed as a Near Threatened  in the South Africa Red Data Book For Mammals (2004).

• The South African Bee Industry Organisation (SABIO) is firmly opposed to the illegal killing of honey badgers.

• The entirely unnecessary, illegal and inhumane killing of honey badgers by a minority of commercial beekeepers is receiving widespread and increasing media and public attention.

• The lack of financial resources and manpower has meant that current laws are ineffective and particularly difficult to enforce.

• The conscientious beekeepers, the public, conservationists, retailers, land owners and fruit producers have shown support for the establishment of the  “badger friendly” initiative.

• Enterprising beekeepers have for more than half a century implemented highly cost effective and long-term solutions that save tens of thousands of rand damage annually.

• Beekeepers  are urged to apply for “badger friendly” accreditation by signing a declaration committing themselves to the South African Bee Industry Organization's Code of Conduct (which includes subscription to environmentally friendly, "badger-friendly"  and law abiding beekeeping. 

• Retailers should strive to ensure that beekeeping products are derived from accredited “badger friendly” suppliers and could actively promote the role of beekeepers and honey badger conservation.

• An adaptive management approach will be implemented based on ongoing research findings and feedback from all interested and affected parties.

 The badger friendly initiative seeks to:

 a) Initiate an extension programme that will inform and help beekeepers with methods of beehive protection 

b) Provide positive incentives for beekeepers to protect their hives through  an auditing system that will accredit badger -friendly beekeepers and allow them the use of "badger-friendly stickers" on their products.  

EXTENSION WORK 

A fulltime project manager and programme coordinator, Joan Isham, (based in the Western Cape) has been appointed for the three years (Two years have been completed) to assist beekeepers with hive protection and co-ordinate the use of "Badger-Friendly" stickers on the products of badger friendly beekeepers in  South Africa.  Part time auditors, designated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust audit beekeepers across the country.

Joan also coordinates national data collection of the conflict between badgers and beekeepers  under the guidance of the project leaders, Keith & Colleen Begg  and Dr G. Verdoorn (Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa). 

 If you have any  queries on the badger friendly initiative, please contact Joan at rateldotcom@hotmail.com

Badger-friendly accreditation - the Incentive

A system of "badger-friendly" accreditation has been set up by SABIO (South African Bee Industry Organisation whereby interested beekeepers who subscribe to SABIO's Code of Conduct (C.O.C) which includes subscription to  environmentally  friendly and law abiding beekeeping, may use the officially recognised "badger friendly labels" stickers on their products.  Beekeepers who  utilize the badger friendly labels are open to ongoing audits from appointed extension officers from The Carnivore Conservation Group of the Endangered Wildlife Trust to ensure their compliance with badger-friendly beekeeping. On receiving a positive audit result beekeepers are issued with a dated certificate, which they may use to prove their badger friendly status to retailers and landowners. To receive a positive audit result , a beekeeper must not only ensure that he or she does not kill honey badgers and that his hives are adequately protected but he/she must also ensure that all his secondary suppliers are also "badger-friendly". Retailers are urged to only deal with "badger-friendly beekeepers"and consumers are encouraged to buy only "badger-friendly" products. Already two major retailers, Woolworths and Pick 'n Pay have shown their support for the initiative.  Recently the scope of the initiative has been  broadened to include fruit growers who use beekeepers to provide bees to pollinate crops. 

We need your help 

At this stage badger friendly products are only available in South Africa

Retailers need to be pressurized into ensuring their products are "badger-friendly". This will create an incentive for beekeepers to switch to "badger'-friendly" beekeeping practices and will reward those beekeepers who are already badger-friendly. 

1.    Be proactive and only buy honey if it displays these labels.

    2.   If you can't find  "badger-friendly" products in your  retail  outlet,  ask    the manager why not!  

    3.  Only labels displaying the logos of the NGOS (EWT, Green Trust, WESSA)  can be trusted.