After France, Cambodia, Italy and Japan, the historic Maison has decided to support the beekeeping and protection traditions of Mayan women. Together with Angelina Jolie – Guerlain Muse since 2017 and Bee Ambassador of the Women for Bees program by UNESCO/Guerlain: the house has launched a new multi-year initiative to empower women through education and training on bees in partnership with the Maya Jungle Foundation.
Guerlain and Angelina Jolie renew the “Woman for Bees” project in Mexico
Women are always at the center of Guerlain’s initiatives, a historic Maison that has always been committed to raising awareness of the role of bees in our ecosystem. A bet that has been carried out since 2020 and that after Cambodia, Italy and Japan for 2023 will move to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
The godmother of the project, Angelina Jolie, traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula to launch the new training and conservation initiative in collaboration with the Selva Maya Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the protection of Melipona beecheii, the sacred bees of the ancient Mayan civilization. Also this year, he personally participated in a two-day field visit and beekeeping session “Bee School”, as well as an excursion in the jungle of Akumal.
SOS Melipona bees, sacred to the environment
These bees, typical of Central America, are at the greatest risk of extinction and being among the main pollinators of the Mayan ecosystem, the Melipona beecheii is essential to keep the balance and biodiversity of the region intact.
Honey, a source of beauty for centuries
In addition to their fundamental role as guardians of biodiversity, these very rare stingless bees are a pillar of Mayan ecological and cultural heritage.
Their honey – collected by hand using ancient techniques to protect the delicate hives – is still used to treat skin, eye, digestive, immune and respiratory problems. Not surprisingly, the care of Melipona beecheii bees has been part of the tradition of the Mayan community for generations, passed down from woman to woman.
However, 90% of the bee colonies have been decimated by the destruction of the tropical forests of the Yucatan peninsula -their natural environment- and thus also putting at risk the women of the community, their traditions and their emancipation.
What is included in the Guerlain and Fundación Selva Maya program?
With this in mind, Guerlain has chosen to support the Selva Maya Foundation’s Melipona Project, enabling local women to be the primary drivers of their own change and the preservation of their people’s traditions.
Together with the non-profit organization and the Belmond Maroma Hotel (located in the heart of the region), the Maison has created a group of local women beekeepers who will pass on their knowledge, thus reinforcing the historical tradition that can be passed on to future generations.
Two years to train new beekeepers
Over the next two years, Guerlain’s “Women for Bees” program aims to reintroduce Melipona beecheii bees in Mayan villages, enabling local women to generate economic resources and become self-sufficient: building a sustainable professional activity.
Simultaneously, the program will work to raise awareness of the importance of bees in the entire ecosystem and in the conservation of biodiversity.
