RALLYING
FOR BIODIVERSITY
COMMITEMENT N°8
2021
Madagascar, a biodiversity hotspot
Madagascar is one of the world's top 10 biodiversity hotspots. The island, hosting over 250,000 species, including 70% which are endemic, is home to 294 species of birds and 247 species of amphibians. Its gigantic baobabs (7 species of which can be found on the island), its exceptional primates - such as lemurs - and its cultural heritage make Madagascar a land of rich, incomparable biodiversity, where extraordinary fauna and flora have flourished for thousands of years. Its tropical rainforests (in the east of the country) and dry forests (in the south and west) are home to exceptional ecosystems which have unfortunately been weakened by years of deforestation. This is why we need to preserve these areas and engage in a reforestation programme. Protecting biodiversity is vital in the fight against climate change. Ecosystems are major carbon sinks and enable living organisms to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
2020
An experimental apiary in Madagascar
In 15 years, 30% of bee colonies have disappeared. To avert catastrophe, CEPOVETT-EPSILON has launched an apicultural production scheme in Madagascar. The production site has 13 Malagasy hives and 11 modern hives, including two very sophisticated Australian models. This new model of hive has a transparent wall allowing us to check the level of honey in the hive without opening it. Pre-formed clear plastic cells, installed on frames fitted with taps, can be split in two for harvesting. When the bees have done their share of the work, we need only turn on a tap for the honey to flow. This new "FLOW-HIVE" method is gentler and less dangerous to the bees, while avoiding stressing or crushing them. With the 4 frames that the employees retrieved, they were able to fill 17 small pots with honey.2019
CEPOVETT joins the fight against Varroa
Varroa destructor, a parasitic bee mite, is an endemic disease that is invading our hives and decimating our bees. A current experimental solution consists in picking out bees resistant to Varroa, known as VSH bees, or, «Varroa Senstivie Hygienic». The idea of beekeeper Didier Brick and about forty volunteer beekeepers in Belgium is to breed VSH queen bees. Initiated in 2015 in the Benelux, this project has inspired CEPOVETT to carry out a genetic selection experiment on about ten VSH-carrying queens in spring 2019. This initiative underlines the company’s commitment to its fight towards safeguarding biodiversity and protecting bees.2018
CEPOVETT Group "Bee Compatible" biodiversity programme
In July 2016, 40 years after its big sister, the Law for the Reconquest of Biodiversity, Nature and Landscapes, was finally adopted by the National Assembly. Providing a home for bees is one of CEPOVETT Group's major projects in the biodiversity field launched in 2013. The "Bee compatible" project is to install beehives on the company's various sites to raise awareness of the disappearance of this pollinating insect around the world.In 2017, from the rooftops of Paris to Madagascar, corporate honey is still in the spotlight at CEPOVETT Group. Several visits to apiaries and honey tastings were organised at the various sites in Villefranche and Paris. An approach that is as original as it is environmental, which has won over the stakeholders. In 2018, a new initiative combines art and biodiversity, through urban beehives decorated by a collective of artists and personalised.