Bonphool Honey from the Sundarbans
For ages, the traditional honey collectors, living around the forests of the Sunderbans, have depended on honey collection from the forest for their livelihoods. They go deep into the mangrove forests in search of wild beehives. Every year, during honey collection many people lose their lives to tiger, crocodile, snakes and natural calamities. 24 Parganas (South) Division, Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal in collaboration with WWF India has facilitated in forming Cooperative of these traditional honey collectors. To reduce the risk to their lives, these honey collectors have now been engaged in apiculture. Instead of venturing deep into the forest for wild beehives, now the traditional honey collectors are placing the apiary boxes inside the remote forest camps. This is a safe and sustainable method of apiary management that reduces man-animal conflict. The profit earned from selling this honey will go to the people who have been conserving the Tigers and the Sunderban ecosystem, and will also help save the lives of the traditional honey collectors.