Province-wide Bee Protection Campaign Launched
Posted: May 11, 2016
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Ontario
A province-wide bee protection campaign has been launched, asking city dwellers to “Let It Bee”. Friends of the Earth, with support from the Ontario Power Generation, has launched the campaign in response to global concerns about declines in pollinator biodiversity.
The campaign will roll out in Ontario from May to July 2016. Stage One of the “Let it Bee” campaign calls for dramatic changes in commercial landscaping and domestic gardening, laying out top actions to take.
“Habitat loss is just as critical in cities and towns as in the countryside. It’s time to dramatically change how we garden and landscape to make sure we protect, not kill off, wild native bees,” said Beatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth Canada.
The Friends of the Earth media release explains that Canada has three areas considered “biodiversity hotspots” with the greatest diversity of bee species, and Southern Ontario is in one of these hotspots: “These same areas are also those with the most significant habitat loss and intensive agricultural production.”
J. Scott MacIvor at University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, studies wild bees in urban spaces and has shared: “There are simple yet important changes everybody can make to help support wild bees. Urban parks and gardens designed and maintained to protect wild bees help to sustain native flowering plant diversity and food crops in cities.”
Stage Two of the campaign will begin in June and work to gather better census data for wild bees – the first annual ‘Great Canadian Bumble Bee Count’ will occur between June 1 to July 15, 2016.