Climate adaptation proves the bee's knees for fishermen in Madagascar

In Kivalo, where cyclones, overfishing and rising seas threaten livelihoods, beekeeping offers an unlikely alternative to fishingArriving in the village of Kivalo in south-west Madagascar after a boat ride of about three-quarters of an hour through beautiful mangrove from the nearest land point, is a bit like stepping out of time. Children frolic in the water. Palm trees sway in the ocean breeze. Chickens run between thatched huts as fishing nets hang by the beach, ready for the next outing. It feels like very little has ever changed here.Yet this tranquillity belies the enormity of the change ahead. Few countries are more vulnerable to climate change than Madagascar, the location of which - in the Indian Ocean, off the south-east coast of Africa - leaves it hugely exposed. The island nation's pervasive poverty and lack of economic development also severely restrict its capacity to adapt to climatic shifts. Continue reading...