Why the Wild Bee Reserve Matters

Why This Reserve Matters

The Wild Bee Reserve lies within the Greater Karoo — the most diverse semi-desert in the world. This extreme ecosystem is home to unique plants and pollinators found nowhere else. Among them are solitary bees, many still undocumented, and the Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera capensis), along with a little-understood hybrid between the Cape honeybee and the African honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata).

Bees are central to the health of this landscape. Solitary bees and honeybees pollinate wild plants that feed and shelter countless other species, forming the foundation of a functioning ecosystem. Without them, plants fail to reproduce, food webs collapse, and biodiversity declines. In semi-desert regions like the Karoo, where survival is already finely balanced, the role of pollinators is even more critical.

Honeybees are keystone species, and solitary bees are indicator species, reflecting the health of their environment. Here, rare and endangered plants rely on highly specialized pollinators, sometimes found only in this region, that emerge in synchrony with a single flowering event. This fragile balance of timing and relationship requires protection.

Threats to the bees and the land:

• Habitat loss and fragmentation — overgrazing, agriculture, and wind farming reduce natural nesting and foraging sites.
• Pesticide use — even low levels can disrupt bee health, reproduction, and survival.
• Hunting and land pressures — animals and habitats in the Karoo face ongoing disturbance, reducing biodiversity.
• Climate stress — hotter, drier conditions challenge plants and pollinators, making intact ecosystems essential for resilience.

Why a Wild Bee Reserve makes a difference:

• It creates a protected sanctuary where wild bees can live and reproduce without interference or exploitation.
• It safeguards ecological corridors, keeping the landscape connected for pollinators, plants, and wildlife.
• It serves as a living archive of biodiversity, protecting known species while giving space for undocumented ones to be studied in a non-invasive way.
• It demonstrates a new conservation model that values bees as wild beings in their own right, not as resources to be managed.

By establishing this reserve, we are protecting not only the bees, but also the plants, animals, and land that depend on them. The Wild Bee Reserve will become a stronghold for biodiversity in the Karoo, ensuring resilience in a rapidly changing climate.