Every May 20, World Bee Day is celebrated, an event proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017 to highlight the crucial importance of bees and other pollinators – such as butterflies, birds, bats or beetles – for biodiversity, food security and the sustainability of ecosystems. In addition, this date commemorates the birth of the pioneer of modern beekeeping, Anton Janša, a native of Slovenia, the country behind this initiative.
Under this year’s theme, “Inspired by nature to nourish us all”, the critical role that pollinators play in agrifood systems is underlined. According to FAO data, more than 75% of food crops globally depend, at least in part, on pollination. This process not only improves the yield and quality of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts, but is also essential for ecological balance and the maintenance of natural habitats.
However, pollinators are seriously threatened by multiple factors: climate change, habitat degradation and loss, intensive agricultural practices, pesticide use, pollution and the introduction of invasive species. These pressures compromise both their survival and the ecosystem services they provide. Globally, about 35% of invertebrate pollinators and 17% of vertebrates are threatened with extinction.
Spain is home to a rich diversity of wild bees, with more than 1,100 species recorded, many of them endemic. To protect them, our country has had a National Strategy for the Conservation of Pollinators since 2020, integrated into the European Union Initiative on Pollinators. This strategy promotes measures to conserve threatened species, restore habitats, reduce risks from pesticides and pests, encourage research and promote public awareness.
In this context, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, promotes various projects within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, which include actions aimed at improving the state of pollinators and their habitats.
Specifically, several initiatives benefiting from the 2023 call for grants for the promotion of the forest bioeconomy contribute to promoting the presence of bees in different parts of the Spanish territory. Among them, REACTIVA BRAÑOSERA stands out, which, with the collaboration of local beekeepers, has installed in the Palencia municipality of Brañosera a series of digitized hives with sensors that allow the collection of environmental data in real time in order to expand knowledge about the behavior of this species in the region. On the other hand, the GAD-EX Laboratory project operates in the UNESCO Geopark of Las Loras in Castilla y León with the aim of promoting beekeeping through actions such as the study of the impact of foraging or the development of training days with the ultimate aim of boosting the local economy and contributing to the improvement of biological diversity.
Likewise, several projects selected by the 2021 and 2022 calls for aid to promote the renaturation of cities include among their lines of action the creation of green spaces to increase pollinator populations in urban environments. One of them is BRERA, which aims to transform several degraded spaces in Soria into gardens with aromatic plants that favor pollination. For their part, different initiatives such as GIJÓN ECORESILIENTE or RenaturaliZA in Zamora have planted native species in parks and gardens with the intention of creating biodiversity refuges for pollinating fauna.
The protection of bees and other pollinators requires the involvement of the whole of society: from consumers and farmers to governments and institutions. Adopting sustainable agricultural practices, restoring natural habitats and reducing the use of chemicals are key steps to ensure their survival and, with it, the health of the planet.
