Saving the Chapman pygmy chameleon from extinction

WESM in Conjunction with the Nsanje Forestry Department visited the area in the first week of September 2021. WESM and Nsanje Forestry Department responded to the communities by providing training on bee keeping as they already have knowledge on tree nursery establishments.

The focus of the training was on Basic brief Beekeeping including introducing the use of top bar hives to participants. The training involved sharing of beekeeping experiences between participants and creating a new vision of practicing small-scale beekeeping by taking beekeeping as an alternative business opportunity for improving the village's economic base thereby reducing pressure to forest resources of Mabunga and Mwanambweli hills in Nsanje.

Some of the recommendations after the workshop:

a) The participants are very eager to do beekeeping but require a lot of technical support. We therefore need to keep on motivating and monitoring farmers through extension visit and support.
b) There is huge potential of bee keeping in the area hence the initiative can improve local economic status of vulnerable communities living close to the forest.
c) Many community members who are not in the conservation groups had the passion of attending the training
d) Encourage and support the communities surrounding Chidodo hill which is close to the initial two hills as the Chapman pygmy Chameleon is also found there and the forest faces degradation too
e) Women participation is key in the success of the project as they have understood that beekeeping can be done by females as well, especially with the introdcuction of top-bar hives.