Tanzania Beehive Fences
We see this spreading of the beehive fence concept as a success story aided by our ability to freely disseminate our data, publications and construction manual to anyone interested in trialling beehive fences in their communities.
The Wildlife Connection
The Wildlife Connection is a small research project working closely with human-elephant conflict (HEC) affected communities living with elephants next to Ruaha National Park to improve human livelihoods and promote the conservation of natural resources. Wildlife Connection have begun testing beehive fences in partnership with local communities using traditional log beehives. View more about the project here.
“We are currently testing beehive fences in selected locations and have found that it very successfully deters elephants.”
– The Wildlife Connection
Serengeti Development Research and Environmental Conservation Centre (SEDEREC)
“New beehive fence technology should be integrated in local government plans and tested widely to other villages bordering protected areas in Tanzania as it provides multiple functions to both human development and nature conservation.”
– SEDEREC
To see the latest article in Africa Geographic Magazine on this project in Tanzania: Click here.
“Elephants were chased from distant farms in the village and left in free movement toward the beehive fence, when they reached the beehive fence they diverged around the fence and then proceeded to crossing the river to other side of the village. Since then no incident of elephants reported through that route.”
– SEDEREC
The Southern Tanzania Elephant Project
The Southern Tanzanian Elephant Project (STEP) works to conserve elephants in the Ruaha, Udzungwa and Selous ecosystems in Southern Tanzania through a combination of monitoring and research, elephant protection programmes, community projects and advocacy.
The project received joint funding from UNESCO and Fauna and Flora International to erect trial beehive fences to try to reduce HEC for five neighbouring communities in the Udzungwa Mountains, and the response from the communities has so far been very positive. They have published a peer reviewed research paper on their first results from their beehive fence trials and the paper can be downloaded from their website.
Wild Survivors Project
The Wild Survivors project was established to support a peaceful co-existence between people and wildlife, specifically elephants. The project has introduced beehive fences in a farming community near Tarangire National Park to protect them from crop-raiding elephants moving between the park and community land.
In addition to beehive fences, the project also combines community education by engaging the Maasai on protecting land use and empowerment through training community rangers thus providing alternative sources of income to poaching. Wild Survivors are also protecting elephants from conflict by creating safe passages for elephants by mapping out migration corridors in Tanzania.