Beehives for livelihoods and peaceful coexistence
Challenge
Human-elephant conflict has increased significantly since the mass arrival of refugees to Cox’s Bazar. This has led to fatalities, injuries, crop loss, and livelihood limitations, while also exacerbating tensions between refugee and host communities – particularly given the limited success of efforts to manage this challenge in local settlements.
Solution
With a focus on host farmers, test the introduction of beehive fencing and crops that are unappealing to elephants to create natural barriers, reduce human-elephant conflict, and create alternative livelihoods options for host communities, facilitating peaceful co-existence.
Impact
385 individuals from host communities directly benefit, with a further 30,000 individuals, from both host and refugee communities, indirectly benefited through improved relations, reduced elephant-human conflict, and enhanced food security.
Project impact
Other information
In addition to the benefits experienced by the 70% of households that installed beehives, 57% of farmers who replaced crops with those not preferred by elephants reported fewer raids and less related damage. Honey production contributed an estimated 15% to 20% rise in average household incomes. Additionally, the planting of different crops – those not preferred by elephants – provided an important seasonal income boost across harvests.
Read partner IUCN's story about this initiative here.