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Description
Midforest meadows and pastures have vanished from forest ecosystems.Changes to the diversity of fertilizer insects species impact negatively the condition of forest ecosystems.Augustów bee acts as an umbrella breed which will contribute greatly toprotection of other species of animals.Project activities are in line with the following documentsThe EU strategy of biological diversity protection;Programme of protection and sustainable useofbiological diversitytheStrategy for responsible until 2020
Flower meadows, forest orchards, small ponds, mini forest apiaries will contribute to increased biological diversity. Genetic and health study will determine the actual condition of bees in the forest.TheProjectshallcontribute to improvement of quality of habitats which are not only important sanctuaries for bees,but also other endangered and not numerous species of fauna and floraand to water retention.Living conditions will be created for the last forest freeliving Augustówbee
Restoration to the forest of native Augustów bee breed and other species of fertiliser insects. Flower meadows and orchards will reduce monolithic character of forest ecosystems.
Bee-keepers foresters;the scientific community;adults,children,NGOs;local government units.Increased knowledge of the environment and awareness of climate changes and the role of fertilizer insects.
Forest District Offices realize protective activities in their areas. Partners participate in conferences and trainings. Project activities combined with forest bee-keeping will greatly improve preservation of cultural and natural heritage in Poland, Belarus and Russia. 45.4 ha of flower meadows will be created; 43.72 ha of coverts-orchards; 58 small ponds; 36 forest tree-hives; 51 forest log-hives. 349 fertilizer insect boxes will be bought; 125 families of Augustów bee; 81 hives. Report of genetic purity and health of bees will increase scientific and practical knowledge.
Summary of project results
Changes in climate and forest ecosystems have had a significant negative impact on the decline in the number of pollinator species and their abundance. 90% of wild plants require pollinators to reproduce. Mid-forest meadows and pastures have disappeared in forest ecosystems, which has limited the possibility of occurrence of many species of fauna and flora. Changes in the diversity of pollinator species have a negative impact on the condition of forest ecosystems. The Augustów bee breed has a relatively pure genotype. The influx of other breeds of bees has reduced the number and area of its occurrence. The Augustów bee has greater resistance to diseases, the ability to use poor forage (which is a feature of forest ecosystems), but it has a lower honey yield, is characterized by strong swarming and is more aggressive. These features have caused the disappearance of beekeepers'' interest in this breed and result in the importation of foreign breeds. The project was implemented in five forest districts of the Augustów Primeval Forest: Augustów, Głęboki Bród, Płaska, Pomorze and Szczebra (total area of 93,288 ha). The project refers to the agreement implemented in 2014-2016 entitled Traditional beekeeping as a rescue of wild bees in forests. Activities: flower and useful meadows, orchards-forest fire stations, ponds, mini forest apiaries will significantly increase biodiversity in both the world of animals and plants, not only in the place of implementation but in the entire Forest. The results of scientific research clearly indicate an increase in the number of species of bats, birds, amphibians and insects after performing similar tasks in previously completed projects. In forest districts, activities have been carried out, the impact of which will go far beyond the place of their implementation.
The project activities are consistent with the following documents:
1.EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 – Goal 3 – Increasing the contribution of agriculture and forestry to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity; Action 9 b – facilitating cooperation between farmers and foresters to protect genetic resources and other cooperation mechanisms to protect biodiversity; Measure 12 inclusion of biodiversity-related measures in forest management plans – special measures developed for forests belonging to the "Natura 2000" network.- as part of the project, activities will be indicated that will be included in the Plans of economic tasks and will be included in the guidelines for the Forest Management Plan. Cooperation with beekeepers facilitates cooperation between foresters and farmers.
2. The Programme for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity together with the Action Plan for 2015-2020 – Achievement of Objective C – Preservation and restoration of natural habitats and populations of endangered species (p.21);– project activities will have a direct impact on the restoration of mid-forest habitats of meadows and orchards, improvement of the living conditions of endangered species, especially from the group of pollinators.
3. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committees of the Regions - Priority II: addressing the root causes of pollinator decline; Action 6C, the commission will promote actions on the maintenance and restoration of pollinator habitats at landscape level; Priority III: raising awareness, engaging the public and promoting cooperation; Measure 9 The Commission will encourage enterprises to join in the protection of pollinators.- Through the actions taken, the State Forests will increase public awareness of pollinators, and the tasks carried out will counteract the decline in the number of pollinators.
4. Strategy for Responsible Development until 2020 (with an outlook to 2030) – "In line with the activities supporting the sustainability of ecosystems carried out in multifunctional forests with sustainable forest management. One of the goals is to strengthen the resilience of forest ecosystems threatened by progressive climate change. A comprehensive programme for adapting forests and forestry to climate change is included in the list of strategic priorities. The strategy includes the preservation and development of cultural and natural heritage through support for the protection of natural space.- project activities combined with beekeeping will significantly affect the preservation of cultural and natural heritage. The estimated size of the natural population of bees of the Augustów M line in Poland is 700-800 bee families. The Augustów bee plays the role of an umbrella species, which will significantly affect the protection of other species of pollinators (bumblebees, solitary bees, wasps, butterflies, flies, beetles), which will significantly increase biodiversity. The activities in the project concern the protection of biodiversity resources by shaping the proper condition of natural habitats. It is expected that the applied measures will also contribute to the improvement of the conservation status of habitats that are not only an important refuge for bees, but also other endangered and sparse species of fauna and flora, as well as water retention.
The aim of the project is to create new and improve the existing living conditions of pollinators in the forest and to restore the original breed of Augustów bees of the M line, which will increase the resilience of the forest ecosystem to negative phenomena resulting from climate change and active protection of endangered species. The implementation will raise public awareness of climate change and its impact on ecosystems. The effects of the project are the restoration of the native breed of the Augustów bee and many other species of pollinators in forest ecosystems, which will significantly increase biodiversity. Improving the condition of the forest and saving the genetic purity of the Augustów bee will protect against the influx of foreign breeds of bees. It will also enable the development and implementation of forest management plans that take into account the role of pollinators.
Effects of the activities we carried out in 2021-2024:
- 46.6 ha of flower meadows were established, on which 1600 kg of seed mixture (10 species) m.in. phacelia, clover, melilot were sown; 116.5 t of magnesium lime was sown;
- A total of 34.72 ha of fire stations were established, on which 10,500 pcs. Apple; 3,510 pcs. pear; 3 350pcs. Prune. Each seedling has been secured with a plastic casing. In addition, a single care treatment was carried out on the same area, grass trimming;
- 58 ponds were made
- In total, 36 beehives and 81 wild bee logs were distributed in the project
- In order to create mini forest apiaries, 81 Warsaw-type hives were purchased, which are the most optimal for the development of the Augustów bee (due to the arrangement of the winter withers);
- 125 swarms of Augustów bees were resettled (81 swarms to hives and the remaining number to logs and beehives);
- 3 outdoor events BARCIOWISKA were organized, during which a total of 60 two-person teams took part, 60 wild bee logs were created, 60 pedestrians, 60 skobliczki and 60 cieślice were purchased from the blacksmith;
- in agreement with the District Beekeepers'' Association from Augustów, workshops for foresters who are beekeepers were organized twice. Experienced beekeepers will share their practical knowledge on how to care for bees throughout the year.
- research on the subspecies affiliation of the introduced bees based on DNA markers and morphometric features of bees was carried out, the National Veterinary Institute in Puławy examined our bees for the presence of pathogens of the Augustów bee; A pollen analysis of honey collected from mini apiaries, logs and beehives was carried out. The results of the analyses are reports and studies.
- in order to take care of the welfare of bees and the prevailing natural conditions in the Augustów Primeval Forest, from mid-July to September and in early spring, we gave food to our bees. For this purpose, we purchased a total of 425 buckets of special syrup for feeding and 141 kg of dough.
- once a year in autumn we also fumigated bees to combat varroa, as well as gave strips of anti-varroa medicine to the hive
- delegations of foresters from the Augustów Primeval Forest visited the project partner twice. i.e. the Aukštaití National Park, where during one of our visits we took part in the National Honey Festival, where we set up a promotional stand of the Project and during the event our stand was visited by the President of Lithuania;
- We have hosted delegations of our foreign partners three times. i.e. employees of the Aukštaitsky National Park from Lithuania and the Hutsul National Park from Ukraine.
- We purchased the necessary equipment to make logs and beehives. i.e. wild bee tools, ladders and scaffolding. In addition, we provided the bee keepers with protective clothing, i.e. sweatshirts, hats and protective gloves, we purchased equipment necessary to operate the hives, vacuum cleaners, brushes and others.
- we purchased a multimedia set, i.e. a projector, a screen and a laptop, which will enable the implementation of away lectures on our project activities.
- We purchased 10 sets of camera traps, which were hung by the hives to verify what was happening with them.
- for promotional purposes, we purchased banners and information walls about the project, created a website and produced 3 parts of the promotional film in 3 time versions, which was broadcast on TVP 3 Białystok and TVP 3 Olsztyn
- a publication entitled "Basics of beekeeping with elements of forest beekeeping" was created in the circulation of 1500 pcs. including 500 pcs. in English. The publication is very popular because, in addition to a short historical outline of beekeeping, it presents the previous experiences of foresters related to the care of bee colonies in the forest, describes the actions taken and undertaken in the State Forests to improve the existence of bees and pollinators in forests.
During the entire period of the Project, we did not manage to carry out two activities, i.e. a delegation of foresters from the Augustów Forest to Ukraine, because for safety reasons we did not receive permission to go from the Director General of the State Forests. The second action that was implemented, but we did not present the expenditure, were national delegations. The Augustów Forest District implements several other projects and due to the limited time, each trip was combined during which we controlled the implementation of activities not only of the "bee" project, but also of other projects. In such a situation, it would be difficult to separate the amount of costs.
All project indicators have been achieved. The project concerned: beekeepers and foresters; scientific communities; adults, children and school youth, NGOs; state administrative units and local government units. During the implementation of the project, we cooperated with scientists working, m.in, among others, at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, the Agricultural University in Krakow and the National Veterinary Institute in Puławy. When implementing the Project, we have always emphasized our willingness to cooperate in the implementation of scientific research, we create conditions for the implementation of research projects. Currently, the Augustów Forest District is very often invited to all kinds of conferences, trainings and workshops organized by scientists from the world of science related to beekeeping. The cyclical Barciowisko event brought together beekeeping and beekeeping enthusiasts from all over the country, who are active in Associations or Foundations on a daily basis. I mean the Bartne Brotherhood Foundation, the Green Barć Association, the Association of Friends of S.O.S Educational Apiary. WWF Poland also speaks very well about our project.