At the foot of the monumental Inzerki apiary, in southwestern Morocco, silence has replaced the hum of bees. This silence is synonymous with an ecological disaster aggravated by the disappearance of the colonies. According to experts, the phenomenon, observed on a national scale, was caused by an unusual drought and climate change.
“At this time of year, space is usually filled with the buzz of bees. Today, however, they are dying at a dizzying rate, ”regrets beekeeper Brahim Chatoui as he inspects his swarms in the harsh sun. As per family tradition, his 90 hives (he lost 40 in less than two months) are located in the Inzerki apiary, in the heart of the arganet biosphere reserve, one of the richest in the country. “Other families have decided to abandon beekeeping due to lack of means,” says Chatoui.
Regarded as “the oldest and largest traditional collective apiary in the world“, this site dating back to 1850 is not the only one to have been affected by the death of the hymenoptera. The phenomenon has affected other regions of Morocco. “The losses are considerable. In the central region of Béni Mellal-Khénifra alone, it is estimated that one hundred thousand hives have disappeared since last August ”, underlines with concern Mohamed Choudani, of the Union of Beekeepers of Morocco (Uam).
Un phenomeno indedito
This year the extent of the disappearance of bees is such that the government has allocated 130 million dirhams for farmers (over 12 million euros), which, however, according to Choudani “have not yet arrived”. In addition, the authorities have launched an extensive investigation into the disaster. “This loss of hives is an unprecedented phenomenon in Morocco”, underlines the National Office for the health safety of food products (Onssa), in charge of carrying out the investigation. According to the ONSS, the “collapse of bee colonies syndrome” is linked to climate change, while the hypothesis of diseases is to be excluded.
Antonin Adam, apidology researcher, points the finger at the worst drought of the last forty years. “The drought today can be amplified by the vulnerability of bees to diseases, transhumance, intensive agricultural practices but also the country’s desire to increase honey production”, underlines the researcher, who has studied the agricultural environment in southeast Morocco. .
In ten years, honey production has increased by 69 percent, from 4,700 tons in 2009 to eight thousand in 2019, with a turnover that, according to the ministry of agriculture, exceeds one billion dirhams (101 million euros). The country hosts 910 thousand hives cared for by 36 thousand beekeepers surveyed in 2019. According to official statistics, in 2009 there were just 570 thousand hives.
Beekeeper Chatoui points out that “drought is part of a normal cycle, but it is the intensity of the phenomenon that is disturbing.” In Inzerki the disaster is double, ecological but also patrimonial. From a distance, the apiary impresses with its simple and complex structure, built in earth and wood on five levels divided into compartments of equal size. Inside the compartments there are cylindrical beehives in intertwined reeds, wrapped in earth mixed with cow dung. But it is enough to get closer to see the effects of the deterioration. Some parts are failing, causing fear for the worst.
According to Hassan Benalayat, researcher of human geography, the degradation of the apiary is the consequence of several changes that have occurred in the region, from the modernization of the beekeeping sector to the rural exodus, without forgetting the climate crisis. In the past, 80 families brought their bees here. Today there are about twenty at the most. “It is important to preserve this exceptional heritage,” underlines Benalayat.
“The situation is critical, but I have no intention of giving up”, promises Chatoui, who together with other residents has created an association to protect the apiary, fighting to make it recognized as a heritage of Morocco and planting herbs to make it resist the dryness of the soil. Today Chatoui and the others try in every way to put the apiary back in order. “The goal is not to produce honey, but to ensure that the apiary is protected and that my bees survive waiting for better times,” explains the beekeeper.
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)