‘Protecting Bees Key To Food Security, Forest Conservation’

The project coordinator of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ACReSAL Project, and director of the Forestry Department, Mrs Caroline Opara, has called for increased protection of bees, describing them as essential to food security and forest conservation.

At an event to mark World Bee Day 2025, organised by the FCT Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat (ARDS) in collaboration with ACReSAL, Opara stressed the need for a collective action.

“This year’s theme, ‘Bee Inspired to Nourish Us All’, reminds us that safeguarding pollinators is critical to our nutrition and ecosystem health,” she said.

Opara highlighted the decline in bee populations as a serious environmental threat, warning that agricultural productivity and biodiversity would suffer without pollinators.

She explained that the FCT ACReSAL Project supports beekeeping as both a sustainable livelihood and an environmental conservation practice.

“We believe that protecting pollinators not only conserves forests but also combats climate change and strengthens rural economies,” Opara stated.

She noted that students, youth groups, and bee farmers were actively engaged in this year’s celebration, reflecting their shared commitment to pollinator-friendly practices.

Opara called for stronger partnerships between government agencies, NGOs and the private sector to promote bee conservation across Nigeria.

In his welcome remarks, the mandate secretary for Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Com. Abdullahi Suleiman Ango said, “Honey, beeswax, and other by-products represent significant sources of income and employment, particularly in rural communities blessed with abundant forest resources.”

The conservator-general of the National Park Service, Ibrahim Musa Goni, said, “Let us commit to building a Nigeria where agriculture is pollinator-friendly, forests are protected, and communities are empowered through nature-based livelihoods.”