BEE
ZOOM
Project for the protection of pollinators
PROJECT .
REFERENT
According to the report “Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production” by IPBES (UN intergovernmental platform for biodiversity, founded in 2021) 16% of wild pollinating insects globally are at risk of extinction, in particular 40% of species of bees and butterflies due to climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, pathogens, pollution and invasive species.
But 90% of wild flowers and 75% of food production depend on the 20,000 different species of pollinating insects, just as pollination through insects is directly responsible for between 5 and 8% of the volume of agricultural production.
Pollinators, therefore, are one of the biological indicators of environmental quality and currently represent one of the most important ecological emergencies.
The Bee friends project contributes to several themes/objectives at an international level.
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European biodiversity strategy for 2030
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The new EU agreement for pollinators which provides for a mapping of key areas by 2025, to improve knowledge of the causes and consequences of the decline of pollinator insect populations.
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The approval of the European Natural Restoration Law (More than 80% of European habitats are in poor condition: EU countries must restore at least 30% of habitats in poor condition by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 90% by 2050) -
The SDG objectives that make up the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development
OBJECTIVE.
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increase local pollinator populations
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census the main taxa of wild pollinators
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recover or renaturalize areas in poor condition, degraded
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reintroduce native plants and create nesting sites
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inform citizens about the threats that pollinators are facing and bring them closer, with educational and experiential activities, to a fascinating and indispensable microworld, which is still little known today.
A mission that will be pursued, from today, thanks to numerous activities that study pollinators and their habits, with the aim of designing and developing solutions that can safeguard the species and, consequently, the entire ecosystem, involving the community and the different realities in the area.
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Two places were chosen for the research:
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the Piedmontese territory: an area of ​​approximately 14 thousand m2 of the Zoom Biopark has been used as a research station for the study of local communities of pollinating insects to evaluate their state of health and any environmental contamination with which they come into contact in the study area, their relationship with the present flora and soil conditions in collaboration with the University of Turin (Simona Bonelli), Monica Vercelli, Umberto Maritano.
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Africa, where thanks to the "Botswana Beekeeping Project" the ZOOM Foundation promotes beekeeping instead of livestock farming, providing an alternative economic resource, an additional food source such as honey and other hive products and at the same time developing sustainable techniques for managing natural resources.
PIEDMONT .
The census in the area of ​​the main groups of wild pollinators (apoidea, lepidoptera and hoverflies) and of the existing botanical species will make it possible to understand the best strategies to guarantee the survival of rare, threatened or protected species, both plants and pollinating insects, since strictly interdependent. The objective is to obtain data to find solutions to encourage the establishment of stable populations of these insects responsible for the precious pollination service and to develop sustainable management solutions for grassland areas.
PERFORMED ACTIVITIES.
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Qualitative and quantitative monitoring and census of the main categories of pollinators outside and inside the ZOOM biopark in collaboration with the University of Turin – Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology
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With the pollinator census started in 2021, Zoom and the Zoom Foundation became part of the national research project Butterfly Monitoring Scheme Italy (ITBMS), and consequently in the largest continental-scale monitoring network, called the European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (eBMS).
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443 individuals of 20 species of apoidea and 141 individuals of 22 species of hoverflies were recorded. 40 individuals of 9 species of lepidoptera
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Sowing of selected local floral species
STAKEHOLDERS.
PARTNER.
BOTSWANA .
The BEEKEEPING IN BOTSWANA project was born in 2022 from the collaboration with the People and Wildlife Trust (PWT) and Leopard Ecology & Conservation who, for over 20 years, have been working with the community of Kaudwane, (in the Kweneng district in Botswana, 5 km from the border of two national parks, the Khutse Game Reserve and the Central Kalahari Game) promoting the long-term survival of wild animal populations, conservation and education of local populations.
With this project, beekeeping aims to become the subject of numerous activities including the promotion of training courses on bee breeding, the encouragement of the sustainable "exploitation" of natural resources to differentiate sources of income and improve the livelihood of communities premises and use as social rehabilitation work.
​The project began in 2022 thanks to the collaboration of the LEC staff, fundamental for coordination and support in the field.
PERFORMED ACTIVITIES.
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A group of 5 women interested in beekeeping was created and the first beekeeping courses were held in the village; Furthermore, a local woman was trained to follow the project.
The hives and necessary equipment were also purchased. The project received the attention of FAO and today the local woman representative has been included in the FAO "School farming" project. -
2 electronic scales were placed in the hives to measure the environmental conditions and the health and activity conditions of the bee families. Each scale measures:
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Internal temperature
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External temperature
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Internal humidity
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External humidity
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Weight of the bee family
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Sound recorder
(This data is monitored remotely by the Foundation).
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Analysis of the honey produced in the village over the years, and comparison with the honeys produced by other beekeepers in the capital with the aim of understanding what the average quality level of the honey produced is and creating a standard quality protocol
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Study and analysis of the flora in bee honey in three areas of Botswana to better understand the available plant sources and improve local beekeeping and production and also investigate the growth and development of bee colonies in relation to the flow of nectar in the flowering season
PARTNER.
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