Sixty kilos of honey has been produced by the fifteen bee hives, which were installed in the Ecological Park, at the end of 2021, in a partnership between the Funchal City Council and the Madeira and Porto Santo Beekeepers Association – AAMPS.
Today, is World Bee Day, and this initiative was created to contribute to the parks biodiversity, preserve bee species and create a sustainable forest ecosystem. During her speech, the councilor for the environment of the CMF, Nádia Coelho, said that in addition to the production of honey, the initiative also aims to promote the potential of the flora of the Ecological Park, as well as provide the municipality with the opportunity to carry out technical-pedagogical activities, within the scope of education/ formation of the regional beekeeping sector, as well as generate an awareness in children, teenagers and adults of the importance of pollinators.
Nádia Coelho further emphasized that this project is still at an embryonic stage, and that it has a lot of potential, leaving open the possibility, in the future, of other initiatives being developed. Furthermore she stressed that bees are essential living beings for the maintenance of biodiversity, highlighting their function as pollinators, who feed and pollinate around 90% of wild flowering plant species and 75% of the food crops we depend on, on a daily basis.
Highlighting her concerns, she forewarned that:
“Currently, these insects known throughout the world are at high risk of extinction, due to impacts of anthropogenic origin, such as the excessive use of pesticides, the increase of monocultures and global warming, factors to which bees are particularly sensitive, and that our survival as a species, is directly linked to the survival of bees and other pollinating insects.”
It should also be noted that, this year, in partnership with AAMPS, the Ecological Park promoted an activity to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, which allowed around 50 children, aged between 9 and 15 years, to understand bees and beekeeping. To finish off, everyone was involved in a honey tasting experience using honey produced both at the Ecological Park and throughout the region.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
