A manifesto for the regulation of exotic and native bees
A safe future for our bees
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Borás bees (Tetragona sp.)
Photo by Murilo Sérgio Drummond
The world watches, appalled, the disappearance of bees.
The causes, not yet completely understood, range from climate change to pesticides, to viruses.
We have an ideal scenario for the honey industry to embrace the conservationist discourse in order to attract investments and expand businesses worldwide.
For this is the little-known truth: the bee which mobilized world awareness is the least endangered of all species.
That is the Apis mellifera, a cosmopolitan species of great economic value, whose farming dictates the method by which other bee species are farmed, many of which hold equal importance in pollination.
In the Americas, this is an exotic species, introduced in the 18th century. In Brazil, it is known as the European bee, or Africanized bee.
While world awareness focuses on the least endangered species, and while the honey industry dictates practices which focus solely on economic gain, thousands of other species native to Latin America remain in limbo, left forgotten to a series of risks.
To ensure the pollination of flowers, and the subsequent production of food for the world population, we must invest in the diversity of bees.
This diversity is ensured by fighting the extinction of all bees, without bulging to economic interests which prioritizes the most-profiting and least-endangered of all species.
Thus, we count on your support to regulate the economic, recreative and conservationist use of bees, in all public spheres, with the aim of valuing their diversity.
