International Bee Day 2024
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activities. Pollination is, however, a fundamental process for the survival of our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or at least in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land. Not only do pollinators contribute directly to food security, but they are key to conserving biodiversity.
To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day. The goal is to strengthen measures aimed at protecting bees and other pollinators, which would significantly contribute to solving problems related to the global food supply and eliminate hunger in developing countries. We all depend on pollinators and it is, therefore, crucial to monitor their decline and halt the loss of biodiversity.
Australia has an active history of celebrating World International Bee Day, as can be seen on the official national website.
The Embassy of Switzerland in Australia will be taking part in the day with two main activities on this occasion:
- The screening of the movie Honey Land on Saturday 18 May. Register here
- A presence at the .Befair festival on the 19 May, with a showcase of the science of bees. Join us!
About Honey Land
Directed by Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska • Written by Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska. Macedonia • 2019 • 85 minutes • Color
"In a deserted hamlet nestling in the heart of an idyllic scenery in Macedonia, Hatidze lives alone with her infirm mother. Hers is a bitter, yet orderly, existence, which revolves entirely around collecting honey. Roaming the mountain in search of bees nests, looking after her hives, she has set herself a rule that guarantees a harmonious collaboration: take half of the honey, but leave the other half to the bees. When a Turkish nomadic family arrives in the village one day, this peaceful balance is abruptly broken. Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s camera gracefully captures the moments shared between Hatidze and this particularly unwieldy family, which, with its many and turbulent children, brings as much joy as it does chaos. But soon, it is the very survival of the bees that is threatened. With a remarkable sense of storytelling, the two filmmakers succeed in making this portrait of an extraordinary woman into a passionate realist tale about survival, the ability to adapt and the need to respect natural balance. A mirror of our own relationship with the world."
