This year’s World Bee Day on 20th May celebrated the vital role bees play in global food systems, pollinating most of the crops we eat, and those used to feed farm livestock.
According to Wheen Bee Foundation CEO Fiona Chambers, when we sit down to dinner, we can thank bees for much of what is on our plate. “Here in Australia, at least fifty-three crops rely to some extent on bees. These include almonds, avocados, apples, berries, stone fruit and carrot, but also oilseeds such as canola, and legumes like clover and lucerne that feed farm livestock.”
“While many people have some understanding of the importance of bees, most don’t know the true extent to which we depend on bees for the food we eat every day,” Ms Chambers has said. “Most people know bees play a role in food production, but few know the sheer scale of their contribution.”
Supporting beekeepers and the bee population is one of the ongoing sustainability projects by which we manage the landscape Forico is responsible for in ways which will benefit future generations. It is a key component of the sustainable nature of our business, demonstrated through our certification from two recognised standards:
- The Forest Stewardship® (FSC®) Certification Scheme, through which we were awarded FSC® Ecosystem Services certification in 2022 for our work in the conservation of natural forest characteristics and species diversity;
- The Responsible Wood (RW) Certification Scheme which is endorsed through the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC).
Forico recognises the work carried out by many forestry companies to support businesses in the beekeeping industry as essential. The global bee population needs help from us all in finding safe haven.
Each year, World Bee Day is a call to action for us all to do what we can to support bees and beekeepers. They are providing us with so much more than honey: they are the gatekeepers of our ongoing food security. “World Bee Day is a wonderful reminder of the critical role bees play in our ecosystem and agriculture,” adds Mr Rocca.
Find out what you can do to support bees in your backyard, at group events for kindergartens, schools and community groups or as a consumer of honey, on the World Bee Day website.
Watch this video message for World Bee Day 2023 by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), in which he speaks about the work bees carry out as pollinators, vital for us and for our ecosystem.
1: Karasinski J. M. (2018): ‘The Economic Valuation of Australian Managed and Wild Honey Bee Pollinators in 2014-2015’. Retrieved from Wheen Bee Foundation website.
Stock images: Unsplash.