Bees for Development Journal 139 June 2021
World Bee Day 2021 Now in its fourth year World Bee Day is celebrated on 20 May. The main purpose of the special day is to draw attention to the hugely important role of bees and pollinators for all life on earth. World Bee Day is a fantastic opportunity for beekeepers to share their knowledge, for farmers to raise awareness about pollinators and for the public to learn more about these wonderful insects.
World Bee Day aims to: • Encourage the world’s decisionmakers to appreciate the importance of protecting bees • Remind us that we all depend on bees and other pollinators • Protect bees and pollinators • Halt the further loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems, thereby contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals*.
Worldwide FAO organised a virtual event with the theme Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees. The webinar was attended by scientists and practitioners who drew attention to the urgent need to restore pollinator populations, and their habitats.
Bees and their pollination services are renowned for the important contribution they make to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals – notably SDG 2, Zero Hunger; SDG 12, Responsible Production and Consumption; and SDG 15, Life on Land. There are roles for beekeepers, governments, private sector enterprises, civil society organisations, researchers and consumers to safeguard and promote thriving bee populations. The conclusion of the event was that to protect pollinators, we all need to protect their habitat. Pollinators need floral diversity, nesting sites and an environment free from pesticides. The event shared these resources: www.fao.org/world-bee-day/en/ YouTube – Imagine a world without bees
INDIA
UTMTS organised multiple events throughout the week of World Bee Day, celebrating bees, raising awareness, and calling on stakeholders to work together to protect them. UTMTS put together a series of Instagram live events with three different bee organisations - including Bees for Development – who focussed on the importance of bees and biodiversity in the ecosystem. Through its work with indigenous bees, UTMTS seeks to improve biodiversity management and ecosystem services for small holders and recognises that beekeeping is a highly costeffective way to adapt to climate change.
BOLIVIA On World Bee Day beekeeping groups in Bolivia shared the news that the demand for honey and propolis from their indigenous stingless bee Melipona sp has increased during COVID-19,
Image © Under The Mango Tree Society
World Bee Day was celebrated by organisations including Under The Mango Tree Society (UTMTS) and The Keystone Foundation.
A clay bee hive decorated by the children of local beekeepers because of their importance in local medicines. Osvaldo Soruco, of the Association of Beekeepers of the Department of Santa Cruz explained that people mix honey with herbs and roots to prepare medicines for helping with colds and flu. Maria Luisa Añez, of the 11
Association of Beekeepers of San Ignacio de Velasco noticed an increase in demand, and indigenous women are responding by developing their home-based activities into vibrant enterprises. Read more at www.fao.org/ forestry/news/98584/en
