巴基斯坦蜂蜜產(chǎn)量激增

巴基斯坦蜂蜜產(chǎn)量激增

Pakistan may not be the biggest honey producer in the world — China, Turkey and the United States easily eclipse the 7,500 metric tons the country harvests annually — but it's long provided a vital income for thousands of farmers, especially when it comes to the country's famed beri honey, which is mostly sold abroad.

巴基斯坦可能不是世界上最大的蜂蜜生產(chǎn)國——中國、土耳其和美國每年的蜂蜜產(chǎn)量輕易就超過了該國7500噸的產(chǎn)量，但長期以來，它為成千上萬的農(nóng)民提供了重要的收入來源，尤其是涉及該國著名的貝里蜂蜜，這種蜂蜜主要銷往國外。

But in recent decades, honey production has been on a slippery slope, with harvests plummeting.

但近幾十年來，蜂蜜產(chǎn)量急劇下降，產(chǎn)量直線下降。

Pakistan may have trees to thank for its surprising surge in bees. (Photo: nicemyphoto/Shutterstock)

"Last year was especially destructive," a beri honey harvester told thethirdpole.net earlier this year. "My income is at a dead end and the loss is irreparable. It has become hard for us to earn food for our children."

“去年尤其具有破壞性，”今年早些時候，一位貝里蜂蜜收割者告訴第三極網(wǎng)。“我的收入沒有了，損失是無法彌補(bǔ)的。我們已經(jīng)很難為孩子們掙到食物了。”

Excessive rainfall, the news site notes, washes away the blooms of the beri tree. And most troubling, the country has lost huge swathes of beri forests to development.

該新聞網(wǎng)站指出，過多的降雨會沖走貝里樹的花朵。最令人不安的是，這個國家因為發(fā)展而失去了大片的貝里森林。

Beri trees, also known as Ziziphus mauritiana, are the main source of beri honey. In the country's rugged, mountainous regions, bees collect nectar from those trees, taking it back to the hive whereharvesters gather the sweet sticky stuff.

貝里樹，也被稱為Ziziphus毛里求斯，是貝里蜂蜜的主要來源。在這個國家崎嶇不平的山區(qū)，蜜蜂從那些樹上采集花蜜，然后把它們帶回蜂巢，在那里，收割者收集甜黏的東西。

But this year, the country is reporting a bumper harvest — an unprecedented 70% increase in honey production. And much of that surge is reportedly due to nature's most reliable hero: the humble tree.

但是今年，這個國家報道了一個大豐收——蜂蜜產(chǎn)量史無前例的增長了70%。據(jù)報道，這一增長主要歸功于自然界最可靠的英雄：不起眼的樹木。

Why are trees good for bees?

為什么樹木對蜜蜂有好處?

In Pakistan, mulberry trees are a common sight. (Photo: Mohammad Jalal/Shutterstock)

Back in 2014, under Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country embarked on an ambitious plan to stave off the ravages of climate change. Dubbed the Billion Tree Tsunami, and costing around $169 million, Pakistan went on a tree-planting spree. According to the World Economic Forum, the country hit its target well ahead of schedule, planting or regenerating trees on about 350,000 hectares of land in just three years. Since then, Pakistan has upped its green ante, pledging to plant 10 billion trees within five years.

2014年，在伊姆蘭汗總理的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下，該國啟動了一項雄心勃勃的計劃，以避免氣候變化帶來的破壞。被稱為“十億樹海嘯”的巴基斯坦花了大約1.69億美元，繼續(xù)瘋狂植樹。根據(jù)世界經(jīng)濟(jì)論壇的數(shù)據(jù)，中國提前實現(xiàn)了目標(biāo)，僅用三年時間就在約35萬公頃的土地上種植或再生樹木。從那以后，巴基斯坦加大了綠色環(huán)保的投入，承諾在五年內(nèi)種植100億棵樹。

That was just what the bees needed.

這正是蜜蜂所需要的。

The trees not only provide more flowers for bees to forage, but even trees that don't flower offer benefits, writes Hilary Kearny for Keeping Backyard Bees. Bees collect saps and resins from nearby trees, using those ingredients to create propolis, which is used to waterproof and sterilize the hive. Plus, trees last a lot longer than a regular garden and don't require as much human intervention.

這些樹不僅為蜜蜂提供了更多的花朵供它們覓食，甚至連那些不開花的樹也能提供好處，希拉里·科爾尼在《飼養(yǎng)后院蜜蜂》中寫道。蜜蜂從附近的樹上收集樹液和樹脂，用這些成分來制造蜂膠，蜂膠用于防水和消毒蜂巢。此外，樹木比普通花園的壽命要長得多，也不需要太多的人為干預(yù)。

But probably the best benefit of trees — for all creatures — is the air-cleaning services they provide by absorbing carbon dioxide.

但對所有生物來說，樹木最大的好處可能是它們吸收二氧化碳所提供的空氣凈化服務(wù)。

So while those trees will play a critical role in buffering the ravages of climate change, they're also paying dividends for the country's honey industry.

因此，盡管這些樹將在緩解氣候變化帶來的破壞方面發(fā)揮關(guān)鍵作用，但它們也在為該國的蜂蜜產(chǎn)業(yè)帶來回報。