With long-held passion for, and expertise in, restoring ecosystems, Ysabel Calderón is spearheading ground-breaking change in the mountains of northern Peru.
Since 2017, the beekeeper and environmental entrepreneur has been leading an environmental enterprise dedicated to reforesting degraded areas in El Higuerón, Lambayeque Region – the ultimate goal of which has been to restore habitats for native bees and other pollinators. By working with a team of researchers, currently working together with Rossana Maguiña, she has developed a reforestation plan using native plants that will help preserve three species of native stingless bees. .
In particular, the project seeks to protect native stingless bees species like Plebeia sp, Trigona sp, a stingless bee whose honeys have important medicinal qualities. Mainly nesting in trunks, many of which have been cut down, this species of bee is on the verge of extinction. By working with volunteers to reforest the mountainous region, Calderón’s enterprise – Sumak Kawsay, which is Quechua for “good living” – is helping to create a habitat in which the species can once again thrive.
Originally sustained by the proceeds made from selling medicinal honey, Sumak Kawsay has since been recognized for its vital contributions to agrobiodiversity and food security, and has received funding from donors including the Canadian embassy.
According to FAO, an estimated 87.5 percent of all flowering plant species are pollinated by animals, and crops at least partially pollinated by animals account for 35 percent of global food production. Pollination is therefore crucial for our ecosystems, biodiversity, and food security.
While there are a variety of animals that perform pollination, bees are the most important. But around the world, bee colonies are in decline. In Europe for example, 9 percent of bee and butterfly species are threatened, and populations are declining in 37 percent of bee species and 31 percent of butterfly species. There are a variety of causes of this decline, including land-use change and associated loss and degradation of natural habitats, intensive use of pesticides, invasive alien species, and climate change.
This decline is extremely concerning. “Pollination is crucial for our food systems, given its role in plant reproduction and food production,” explains Calderón. “So simply put, no pollinators means no food.”
Alongside Sumak Kawsay’s environmental work, the enterprise also promotes local agrotourism. Its “Honey Bee Route” provides tourists with an opportunity to connect with the project, and to learn more about the importance of bees and biodiversity. Local women host the tourists, providing them with a fair income and helping to improve their and their families’ quality of life.
“There’s a significant lack of awareness about the importance of pollinators to our ecosystems, and the dangers that current ecological practices pose,” says Calderón. “So agrotourism projects like this can help develop better understandings of why we need to protect rural habitats. At the same time, it’s providing local women with employment, and so is benefiting the entire community.”
You too can be part of the change, you can buy their products, visit them in the mountains or support their initiative by disseminating their work.
Social media:
Facebook: VidaDignaenPlenitud
Instagram: _sumak_kawsay
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In 2024, Ysabel received the Midori Prize for Biodiversity at the UN Convention for Biological Diversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia.
In 2023, Calderón was named a Restoration Steward by the Global Landscapes Forum and Youth in Landscapes Forum.
We are thrilled and excited to see Ysabel and her team's drive, enthusiasm, kindness, and dedication to tackle environmental challenges.
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