Terra Natura promote the protection of honey bees and other pollinators in the province of Alicante

The Centre for the Survival of Macaronesian Species (CSSM) of Loro Parque Fundación has organised today the Spanish satellite event of the World Species Congress (WSC). During the meeting, the head of Animals at Terra Natura Benidorm, Enrique Sánchez, explained the commitment that the park maintains with the protection of honey bees and other pollinators in the province of Alicante.

Specifically, the conservation action, which Sánchez explained, is part of the RUMES project, together with the Association at the Service of Forest Pollination (ASAF). This project aims to promote the conservation of biodiversity to consolidate the migratory routes of wild swarms in the Sierra de Mariola Natural Park.

The RUMES project manages 63 pollinator stations spread throughout the Valencian Community and other autonomous communities. They are made up of NIP (Nest for Pollinating Insects) hives, which have been specifically created in order to house wild swarms of non-beekeeping exploitation. These pollinator stations are the starting point for wild swarm routes, where bees develop strategies against their predators without leaving their foraging areas and water sources.

These strategies and the lack of pressure related to hive exploitation facilitate selective behavior and, as a result, the proliferation of multifloral plant masses and balanced and healthy ecosystems. Bees are strategic bioindicators that play a crucial role in the pollination of a wide variety of plant species. Their presence and activity contribute to biodiversity, by maintaining the genetic diversity of plants and promoting the survival of other species.

Among the actions contemplated by the RUMES project, the foundation of new pollinator stations in regeneration areas after the passage of fires, a sustainable production apiary for educational workshops, periodic visits to the pollinator stations to record regenerative progress and correct possible deviations, NIP manufacturing workshops, as well as environmental beekeeping, honey extraction and production of direct wax products, as well as awareness talks with schoolchildren.

During his conference, the head of Animals at Terra Natura Benidorm recalled that “the future of bees is in our hands” and “the future not only of the human species, but of the health of the entire planet, depends on pollinators. ”.

According to the FAO and the European Union, the pollinator value of bees is 20 to 30 times higher than the commercial value of honey and its derivatives. In the province of Alicante there are several educational pollinator stations, such as Terra Natura Benidorm. Its hive is visited by thousands of visitors a year, to whom the functioning of wild colonies and other pollinators is explained through awareness talks.

The Spanish satellite event of the World Species Congress has had the collaboration of the Barcelona Aquarium, the Barcelona Zoo, Cabárceno Park, Córdoba Zoo Conservation Centre, Loro Parque, Oasys Mini Hollywood, the San Sebastián Aquarium, Terra Natura Bendiorm, the Zaragoza Aquarium for Biodiversity foundation, Poema del Mar and the Seville Aquarium, which are part of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AIZA).

During this day, other commitments with endangered species present in Spain have been made official, within the framework of the WSC organised by the Reverse the Red movement of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Thanks to these public commitments, zoological institutions will carry out actions at different levels to fight for the conservation of a significant number of threatened species, some of them unique in the world.