On World Bee Day, SocDems spokesperson on Climate and Biodiversity, Jennifer Whitmore TD, calls for a mind-shift on how we think of urban green patches and gardens.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore said:<\/p>\n
\u201cOur bees are under threat. They and other pollinators are key component of our eco-systems. None of us would survive without them. The increasing reduction in plant diversity for pollinators will cause us huge challenges in the short term unless reversed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all need to shift our mindset, to see the value in weeds and wild flowers. For example, up to 40 species of bees and insects rely on nettles. We need to move away from \u2018tidy\u2019 to protect our biodiversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach of us can play our part. From \u2018no mow may\u2019, to people leaving pollinator-friendly patches in our gardens to go wild or to plant pollinator-friendly plants, to allowing urban areas to be as wild as possible, there is lots of good work going on across the country which needs to be supported and enhanced.<\/p>\n
“In urban areas, local councils and An Bord Plean\u00e1la should prioritise the planting of trees and flowers in existing and new developments, and on streets. It is healthier for people, mentally and physically, and wildlife alike to have as much planting and green space as possible in urban and suburban areas<\/p>\n
A terrific example of community engagement is the new \u2018Bee Route\u2019 in Greystones, launched today as a partnership between SocDems Wicklow Cllr Jodie Neary and the Greystones Tidy Towns.<\/p>\n
Cllr Neary said:<\/p>\n
\u201cMyself and Greystones Tidy Towns have collaborated to develop a great initiative in the town. All residents who join the project will be provided with seedlings and an information leaflet, and a flowerpot for those who don\u2019t have a garden, to create a Bee-Route across Greystones.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorld Bee Day offers us an opportunity to support local communities to work together to address the decline in pollinator numbers, especially in a time of Covid19. The Greystones Bee Route will involve the community and we\u2019ll be tracking the progress online, including plotting people\u2019s progress on a map, across the summer so that we can see the impact local level initiatives can have. With combined efforts, we can reverse the decline in bees and other pollinators, to the benefit of everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
[ENDS]
\n20th May 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On World Bee Day, SocDems spokesperson on Climate and Biodiversity, Jennifer Whitmore TD, calls for a mind-shift on how we think of urban green patches and gardens. Deputy Whitmore said: \u201cOur bees are under threat. They and other pollinators are key component of our eco-systems. None of us would survive without them. The increasing reduction […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n