Yemen’s Ancient Honey Production a Victim of War, Climate Change

Experts consider Yemeni honey one of the best in the world but "enormous losses" have been inflicted on production since war broke out in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross says AHMAD AL-BASHA AFP
Experts consider Yemeni honey one of the best in the world but "enormous losses" have been inflicted on production since war broke out in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross says AHMAD AL-BASHA AFP
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Yemen’s Ancient Honey Production a Victim of War, Climate Change

Experts consider Yemeni honey one of the best in the world but "enormous losses" have been inflicted on production since war broke out in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross says AHMAD AL-BASHA AFP
Experts consider Yemeni honey one of the best in the world but "enormous losses" have been inflicted on production since war broke out in 2014, the International Committee of the Red Cross says AHMAD AL-BASHA AFP

For Yemeni beekeeper Mohammed Saif, honey production used to be a lucrative business but years of war and climate change have taken the buzz out of the family hives.

The business, handed down from father to son, "is slowly disappearing", Saif told AFP. "The bees are being hit by strange phenomenons. Is it due to climate change or the effects of war? We really don't know."

Yemen, one of the world's most impoverished countries, has been gripped by a deadly conflict since 2014.

In the southwestern region of Taiz, Saif recently took stock of his hives in a rugged valley surrounded by mountains.

Before the war, Saif said, the family managed 300 hives, now only 80 are left.

Experts consider Yemeni honey some of the best in the world, including the prized Royal Sidr known for its therapeutic properties.

The United Nations says honey plays a "vital role" in Yemen's economy, with 100,000 households dependent on it for their livelihoods.

- Bee ecosystems battered -

But "enormous losses have been inflicted on the industry since the outbreak of the conflict", the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a report in June.

"Armed conflict and climate change are threatening the continuity of a 3,000-year-old practice," the ICRC said.

"Successive waves of displacement to flee violence, the impact of weapon contamination on production areas, and the growing impact of climate change are pushing thousands of beekeepers into precarity, significantly reducing production."

Saif knows it all too well.

"Last year in our village a missile struck a beekeeper's hives. He lost everything," he said.

"The war has had a very bad impact on us. The fighters have targeted many zones where bees are found," he added.

The ICRC's Bashir Omar said the conflict had limited the ability of beekeepers to freely roam the land whenever flowers were in bloom to collect the honey.

Landmines and active front lines are among the challenges they face.

"To make matters worse, Yemen, like many conflict-affected countries, is disproportionately affected by climate change," the ICRC report noted.

"Temperature rises in recent years, combined with severe alterations caused to the environment, are disturbing the bees' ecosystem which is impacting the pollination process," it said.

"With water tables falling and increased desertification, areas previously engaged in agricultural activities and beekeeping no longer sustain these livelihoods."

The ICRC is providing financial support and training this year to beekeepers, after a similar initiative in 2021 that helped nearly 4,000 of them.

Nabil al-Hakim, who sells Yemen's celebrated yellow nectar in Taiz shops, also recalled the golden days before the conflict ravaged his country.

"Before the war we could make a good living by selling honey... but honey has become rare and customers can no longer afford it," he said.

"Before, I used to sell up to 25 five-liter jars a month. Now I can't even sell one."



Russian Man Survives Bear Attack as Sightings Near Moscow Increase

A person rides a bike at a park during a warm spring day in Moscow, Russia, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A person rides a bike at a park during a warm spring day in Moscow, Russia, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
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Russian Man Survives Bear Attack as Sightings Near Moscow Increase

A person rides a bike at a park during a warm spring day in Moscow, Russia, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A person rides a bike at a park during a warm spring day in Moscow, Russia, 04 April 2025. (EPA)

A brown bear attacked and badly mauled a Russian man in a forest about 125 km (78 miles) from Moscow, local media and residents said, as sightings of bears become more frequent in the region surrounding the capital.

The man, who apparently survived the attack by managing to play dead, was out collecting antlers shed by elk and deer last week when the bear attacked him from behind, a local news website quoted the man's uncle as saying.

"It began to gnaw at his skull, then turned (him) over and started eating his face," the victim's relative said. "Somehow, (he) pretended to be dead, and the bear left him alone."

Russian media said the injured man called emergency services and waited for hours while emergency crews searched for him on foot in the forest near the village of Yeremeevo. He was then taken to hospital by helicopter.

Bear hunting is allowed in much of Russia, but is banned in the Moscow region.

Some Russians go out in the forest to collect antlers, a pair of which can sell for up to 15,000 roubles ($178), about two-thirds of Russia's minimum monthly wage.