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Plean Bee: the radical plan reversing the decline of bees and pollinators across Ireland
Plean Bee: an plean radacach atá ag tabhairt faoi meath na bpailneoirí fud fad na hÉireann
Bees and pollinators have been declining in Ireland and other countries for decades – as a result of mono-culture, pollution, climate change and disease, and this decline comes at a huge cost to agriculture, to wildflowers and trees, and to many parts of the natural world that we take for granted. The All Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP), set up in 2015, is almost unique in reversing pollinator decline by engaging with Irish society, mobilising a citizen’s army of gardeners, farmers, community and sports groups, councils and other land owners to become pollinator friendly, protecting the environment and protecting the lives of future generations.
In Plean Bee Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick from the National Biodiversity Centre, Professor Jane Stout from TCD, and Belfast based biologist Dr. Pól Mac Cána explain the variety of pollinators who work on our behalf, the honeybees, the bumblebees as well as Ireland’s 77 species of solitary bee – individual bees of surprising sizes and colours who are the country’s main pollinators. While bees are responsible for most pollination, there are also wasps, moths, butterflies and hoverflies to take into account.
We hear how these pollinators face the same problem of decline in habitats and food sources. Gardens, parks, hedgerows and farmland that are over maintained, or are treated with pesticides, are destroying natural habitats for pollinators who require shelter, and a variety of food sources throughout the year. The delicate balance of nature – the pollination of fruits and crops, trees and wildflowers, in exchange for food and shelter – is breaking down, and pollinators are struggling to survive.
The aim of the AIPP, launched by Úna and Jane in 2015, was to encourage as much of Irish society as possible to take action to protect or develop habitats and food sources. The AIPP published action plans for every type of citizen activist, and in Plean Bee we witness how Derry City and Strabane Council have reduced the mowing of grass over the summer, to allow wildflowers to grow to support pollinators. We visit a community glasshouse in Donegal, a school in Dublin that has implemented pollinator-friendly policies, a Mullingar farm where traditional hedge-laying helps promote biodiversity, and finally, we visit Buncrana Town, where the local council, the Tidy Towns committee and others have transformed how the town plants flowers and maintains its roundabouts and parkland to the advantage of bees and pollinators.
The success of the pollinator plan, and the huge community buy-in involved means that other countries, and the EU in particular, are looking to Ireland for help in improving the situation of their own pollinators. The AIPP is making a difference, and as Úna states, ‘the beauty about it is that we’re not asking ‘anybody’ to solve this problem, we’re asking ‘everybody’ to get involved, and if everybody took small actions, then together we would solve it.’
www.pollinators.ie
Producer & director: Deaglán Ó Mocháin
Camera: Vincent O’Callaghan, Eve Logue & Deaglán Ó Mocháin
Editor: Sarah Kivlehan
Tá líon na mbeach agus na pailneoirí ag titim in Éireann agus i dtíorthaí eile le bliaintí anuas – mar gheall ar monashaothrú, truailliú, athrú aeráide agus galar, agus tá costas mhór ag baint leis an meath seo i dtaca le talmhaíochta de, le bláthanna fíana, le crainn agus leis na gnathóga nadúrtha atá thart orainn uilig.
Cuireadh tús le Plean na bPailneoirí Uile Éireannda i 2015, agus an rud is difriúla faoi na go bhfuil sé ag dul i ngleic le meath na bpailneoirí trí comhoibriú le roinnt mhaith eilimintí i sochaí na hEireann idir garraíadóirí, feirmeoirí, grupaí pobail agus spóirt, comhairlí agus úinéirí talún chun polasaithe atá neamhdhíobhálach do phailneoirí a fhorbairt.
Míníonn An Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick ón Ionad Naisiúnta le Sonraí Bitheagsúlachta, An tOll. Jane Stout ó Ollscoil na Trionóide agus An Dr. Pól Mac Cána, bitheolaí atá lonnaithe i mBéal Feirste eagsúlacht na pailneoirí a mbíonn an feidhnmniú ar son na timpleallachta, na beacha meala, na bumbóga agus an 77 cinéal beacha aonaracha le méideanna agus dathanna airithe atá freagrach as an chuid is mo den pailneoireacht sa tír. Tá feiliúcháin, leamháin, foichí agus beachanna gabhair le glacadh san áireamh fosta.
Cluineann muid go bhfuil na pailneoirí ar fad i maol mar gheall ar meath na gnathóigí agus easpa bí. Nuair ata ró bhainistíocht déanta ar gairdíní, pairceanna, fálta agus talamh feirme, nó barraíocht ceimiceáin in usáid, bíonn brú ar foscadh agus foinsí bi na bpailneoirí i rith na bliana. Bíonn brú fosta ar an cheangal órga idir na pailneoirí agus foinsí bi s’againn féin, na toirthí, na barraí, na crainn agus na bláthanna fíana atá de dhíth orainn uilig.
B’é an aidhm an PPUÉ, a bhí tosaithe ag Úna agus Jane i 2015 ná sochaí na hÉireann a spreagadh chun gnathóigí agus foinsí bi a chothú. Foilsíodh treoireacha dírithe ar gach chinéal gníomh, agus i bPleann Bee tchíonn muid an plean ag feidhmniú i gComhairle Doire agus an tSrath Bán, áit ar cuireadh tús le straitéis úr chun isliú a déanamh ar gearradh féar, chun bláthanna fíana a chothú ar mhaithe le pailneoirí.
Tugann muid cuairt ar tithí gloine ar an Fhál Carrach, téann muid chuig scoil i mBaile Átha Cliath a chur polasaithe ar mhaithe le bpailneoirí i bhfeidhm, feirm i Muileann Gearr le fálta sínte ar an sean dóigh chun bitheagsúlacht a chothú, téann muid chuig tearmann dúlra in iarthar Thír Chonaill, agus bíonn muid i mbun suirbhe ar bumbáin agus feiliúcháin ansin, agus críochníonn muid i mBun Crannacha, áit a mbíonn an Comhairle Contae, coiste na mbailtí slachtmhára agus eile ag comhoibriú le chéile chun na timpealláin agus na pleandaí a shocrú ar leasa na bpailneoirí.
Tá tíothaí eile, agus an AE ach go háirithe ag amharc go géar ar an PPEÚ mar gheall ar buanna an phlean, agus an cheannacht isteach láidir ón phobal féin. Tá an plean ag déanamh an diféar, agus mar a deireann Úna, ‘an rud is fearr faoi ná nach bhfuil muid ag iarraidh ar ‘duine éigin’ an fhadhb a reiteadh, tá muid ag iarraidh ar ‘gach duine’ rud inteacht a déanamh, agus dá ndéanfadh muid uilig na gníomhanna beaga, is féidir linn an fhadhb a reiteadh le chéile.’
www.pollinators.ie
Léiritheoir & stiúrthóir: Deaglán Ó Mocháin
Ceamara: Vincent O’Callaghan, Eve Logue & Deaglán Ó Mocháin
Eagarthóir: Sarah Kivlehan