The Government of Tanzania, through the Tanzania Forest Services Agency, has showcased the country’s innovative beekeeping and landscape restoration model at the Third International Forum for Action on Sustainable Beekeeping and Pollination held in Maribor, Slovenia.
The high-level forum, organized jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Government of Slovenia from May 20 to 21, 2026, brought together policymakers, scientists, researchers and beekeeping experts from across the world to discuss strategies for protecting pollinators and advancing sustainable agriculture.
Speaking during the forum, Tanzania’s Senior Beekeeping Officer at TFS, Linda Shio, presented the country’s case study on the DSL-IP initiative, which integrates beekeeping activities into forest reserves and village land forest reserves as part of broader environmental restoration efforts.
She said the initiative combines sustainable land management, seed conservation and development of green value chains to help conserve Tanzania’s Miombo woodlands while simultaneously protecting pollinators and improving community livelihoods.
According to Shio, the approach demonstrates that biodiversity conservation and economic empowerment can be pursued simultaneously to achieve long-term and scalable environmental outcomes.
The forum was held under the theme, “Science, Innovation and Policy Actions for a More Sustainable Future.”
Opening the discussions, FAO Assistant Director-General and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, Thanawat Tiensin, underscored the critical role of bees and other pollinators in global food security and nutrition.
He called for stronger international cooperation through the establishment of a Global Pollinator Platform aimed at bringing together governments, researchers and conservation stakeholders to coordinate pollinator protection and sustainable agricultural practices.
Meanwhile, President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, stressed the importance of safeguarding bees, saying protecting pollinators is directly linked to humanity’s future and food systems.
“By caring for bees, we are actually caring for the future of humanity, food security and the common goods,” she said.
During the event, the Slovenian President awarded the prestigious Golden Bee Award to researchers credited for developing successful measures against invasive hornets that threaten pollinator populations.
The Acting President of Apimondia also commended Slovenia for being among the world’s most pollinator-friendly countries and urged other nations to adopt similar conservation practices.
The zglobal forum concluded with renewed calls for partnerships and collective action under the message: “Bee together for the people and the planet, a partnership that sustains us.”
