BEE BREEDING ASSOCIATION “PCHELA” KUMANOVO

Total budget: MKD 320.400

Timeframe: 10 months

CONSTITUENTS

Group of citizens, breeders of honey bee who work and live in the region of the municipality of Kumanovo.

ON THE PROJECT SUPPORTED BY CIVICA MOBILITAS

Healthy environment for the current and future generations.

BACKGROUND

At the time when the settlements and cities rapidly expand and the free natural areas quickly disappear, the parks, gardens and other green zones have bigger ang bigger significance in providing possibilities for recreation and relaxation of the population, and they also help in maintaining a clean and healthy living environment. The core of the healthy living environment are the pollinators, first of all honey bees. Simply, where it is safe for the bees, it also safe for the people. The pollinating activity of the bees and other insects is an essential function of the environmental survival – without the pollinators, the human kind and all land ecosystems would not survive. The diversity of the plant varieties in the ecosystems is in direct correlation with the diversity of pollinators in them and vice versa.

Unfortunately, in the last several years, the bee population and other pollinators have significantly decreased globally, up to 30% per year. The reasons for this situation are multiple, such as the extreme climate changes, practices related to bee breeding, parasites, diseases, usage of pesticides, changes in the usage of the land, etc.

Because of this, it is necessary that the bee breeders, politicians, business sector and the broader public work together on undertaking activities to alleviate the negative impact on the bees and other pollinators.

In this context, this project proposal includes joint activities of an CSO (BEE BREEDING ASSOCIATION “PCHELA” KUMANOVO), a high school (SSOU “Kiro Burnaz” Kumanovo) in cooperation and with the support of the Municipality of Kumanovo and “Chistota and zelenilo” communal public enterprise from Kumanovo. As a result of the undertaken activities, it is expected to raise public awareness, first of all with the young population on the meaning of the pollinators for the biodiversity and healthy living environment, and to undertake measures for their protection, such as: enriching the bee pastures with establishing so-called flower stripes from honey bearing plants in the immediate vicinity of the beehives of the bee breeders from the association; including the so-called bee friendly gardens at the school yard, including herbs, spices and aromatic honey bearing plants, etc. The establishment of the flower stripes around the beehives will not only provide an easier access to food for the bees (nectar and pollen), but it will also revitalize the land that has not been worked on, it will naturally expand the plants via distribution of seeds, it will improve the environment and clean the air. The students will have the possibility to get acquainted with the growing of multipurpose plants which are at the same time honey bearing and they will be able to transfer this experience to their own yards and improve them as well. 

GOALS AND RESULTS

Goal: Contribution to decreasing of the harmful effects on the environment with a special attention to the protection of bees and other pollinators.

Objective: Raising the awareness and improving the knowledge of the bee breeders, young school population on the pollinating role of the bees and other pollinators and their contribution to the preservation of biodiversity, as well as the measures to diminish the negative influences that the climate changes and other factors have on them.

RESULTS

1. Improved nature around the beehives in the rural environments in the Municipality of Kumanovo with flower stripes from honey bearing plants;
2. Establishing a Garden – friend of bees, with honey bearing plants, in the schoolyard;
3. Esablishing a Park – friend of bees, with honey bearing trees, shrubs, green honey bearing plants, insect hotels, educational and informative posters and informative boards on public municipal areas.

ACTIVITIES

1. Joint actions of bee breeders, students and school personnel, as well as other interested citizens in autumn planting of honey bearing shrubs and trees in the bee park;
2. Producing panels for posters, informative boards, educational posters, insect hotels and rows for spring planting;
3. Joint action for spring row planting in the bee park;
4. Joint action for spring row planting in the school garden;
5. Joint action for setting flower stripes around the beehives;
6. Joint action for setting up the posters and insect hotels in the bee park;
7. Organizing an event for the official opening of the bee park.