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- Ελληνικά
I am pleased to welcome the launch of the biennial information campaign on bee conservation, organised by the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) of UCLan Cyprus University.
The theme of the campaign is "The role of the bee in the environment and its contribution to humanity". So, what is the role of the bee in nature? Imagine a world where the buzzing of bees is replaced by silence... What would happen? The silence would be deafened by the accompanying image - barren fields, bare orchards, gardens without flowers, plates without apples, strawberries, cherries, watermelons, vegetables, cereals, almonds, honey... With over 15 million years of presence on earth, these silent, tireless workers ensure the reproduction of most wild flowering plants and most cultivated species. The above picture is the reality we will face if we do not take drastic measures to protect the most valuable pollinator on the planet.
The greatest threat to bee population extinction comes from human activities - land use change, intensive agricultural and livestock management, pesticide use on crops, genetically modified monocultures, atmospheric and electromagnetic pollution, invasive alien species, catastrophic fires and the climate crisis.
Without bees there is no pollination, without pollination agriculture, food production is affected, soil quality is degraded with economic impacts on farmers, the economy, society, the whole ecosystem is affected, humanity is affected.
As the bee cannot live alone, but as a member of a community, it is our collective responsibility to protect them, through policies and small actions that collectively can make a big difference:
- Encourage farmers to adopt bee-friendly practices, minimizing the use of harmful pesticides by adopting low-risk, non-chemical alternatives
- Work with communities to preserve and restore natural bee habitat by protecting wildflower areas.
- We protect habitats and enhance biodiversity.
- We create bee-friendly green spaces.
- We promote educational initiatives and awareness campaigns on the importance of bee conservation.
- We promote bee-friendly practices in our gardens, avoiding the use of chemicals.
- We plant bee plants in our backyard, on our balconies.
A key pillar of policy and action of the Office of the Environment Commissioner is the promotion of sustainable development horizontally in the policies of the state and society. It is for this reason that we encourage and embrace such initiatives as a contribution to the protection of biodiversity which also falls within the specific climate and environmental objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy, including ecosystem enhancement and habitat and landscape conservation, as well as the protection of pollinators and pollination services.
In addition to supporting the campaign, during my meeting with Ms Angelou and I discussed various ways of cooperation. Among other things I suggested planting bee flora in the open spaces of the University and we agreed, as a preliminary, to jointly adopt the Office of the Environment Commissioner and the UCLan Cyprus land department, also for planting bee flora.
Synergies between the public and private sectors, the academic and research world, and civil society, are a prerequisite for shaping a world based on environmental, social, economic, political and cultural sustainability. In the same way, and in this case, we are taking actions to ensure that these precious pollinators continue to fill the world with life and colour and that their buzz will never be silenced.
In conclusion, I congratulate the Institute of Professional Studies of UCLan Cyprus for the initiative of conducting a campaign to highlight the importance of bees and beekeeping as well as the company Melin Esti Ltd for supporting it.
In conclusion, I congratulate the Institute of Professional Studies of UCLan Cyprus for the initiative of conducting a campaign to highlight the importance of bees and beekeeping as well as the company Melin Esti Ltd for supporting it.
I wish you every success in the campaign you have undertaken.
Note: The address was read on behalf of the Commissioner by Ms Antonia Socrates Pedone, Press Officer at the Office of the Environment Commissioner.
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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