Traditional Knowledge of Korean native beekeeping and sustainable forest management

Abstract

Native beekeeping (NBK), a practice that links forest communities to forest ecosystems, has been practiced in Korea since ancient time. This paper aims to inventory traditional forest knowledge(TFK) regarding NBK, using historical records and contemporary interviews with beekeepers. It examines the relationship between NBK, forest communities and sustainable forest management (SFM), drawing upon the principles and standards for SFM developed by the Forest Stewardship Council. As a result, similarities and differences between past and present generations' knowledge of NBK signal the transmission and evolution of TFK and NBK across generations. NBK has important ecological, economic and social dimensions and contributes to the goal of SFM.