PROTECTING THE NEW SOUTH WALES APIARY INDUSTRY AND KEEPING BEEKEEPERS IN JOBS
Establishing Pollinator-Friendly Plants in Rural NSW
There has been an on-going, relentless degradation of rural NSW lands with the removal of trees and bush reserves and vast monoculture plantings and a subsequent loss of pollinator-friendly plants. The destruction of native resources through fire has thrown into stark relief the need for a more holistic approach to rural land management.
Rural NSW produces a wide range of crops that are critically dependent on pollination, and there is a highly co-dependent and synergistic relationship between horticulture and apiculture. Both industries require strategic regeneration and replanting that will strengthen bee refuges and provide a secure pollination base.
The Wheen Bee Foundation is an independent not-for-profit charity that supports projects that benefit bee, pollination and food security. They have identified the establishment of pollinator-friendly crops as a critical need in Australia and have pilot planting programs underway in Victoria. Their aims are to both increase the prevalence, health and diversity of pollinators in the landscape and to educate the community of the value of bees and pollination.
Bee Friendly wine grapes, planted in the Margaret River region. CREDIT:WHEEN BEE FOUNDATION WEBSITE.
Objectives:
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Provide forage and refuge sites for beehives to enhance sustainable beekeeping in NSW.
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Increase community awareness of the link between bees and food security.
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Increase the usability of NSW land for profitable primary industries
Activities:
This project will be coordinated by the Wheen Bee Foundation as an extension of two pilot projects that are currently being undertake in Victoria.
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Establishment of a network of bee-friendly farms across rural NSW.
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Strategic planting of “trees for bees”.
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Production of Ecoregional Planting Guides for NSW with information on pollen, nectar, duration and time of flowering to enable land-care groups, nurseries, and land managers to select the best mix of native species for pollinators.
Measurable Outputs:
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Increased numbers of “bee friendly” farms
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Pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs planted across rural NSW
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Ecoregion Planting Guides for bee-friendly plants across different regions of NSW
By providing access to forage and refuge across NSW rural areas this project will strengthen the sustainability and resilience of the beekeeping industry into the future. It will raise the profile of beekeeping and increase community awareness of the importance of the Apiary Industry in food security, and will create and retain jobs in the rural sector.