World Bee Day 2022: Why bees are important for environment and humanity

Pollinators affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production, increasing the output of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines: FAO

New Delhi: Today is World Bee Day, celebrated all over the world to create awareness of the essential role of bees and other pollinators in keeping the environment and planet healthy.

The day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Slovenian beekeeper Anton Jana—the pioneer of modern beekeeping. He was born on May 20, 1734, into a long line of beekeepers and was the first beekeeping teacher at the Viennese imperial court.

This year the day is observed under the theme “Bee Engaged: Celebrating the Diversity of Bees and Beekeeping Systems.”
World Bee Day, which is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will be observed through a virtual event this year.

The grand event will be available in several languages, including Spanish, Arabic, English, French, Chinese, and Russian.
According to the official website, the event featuring bee and pollinator experts and practitioners from across the world will open with a video message by FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.

The event will raise awareness of the importance of the wide variety of bees and sustainable beekeeping systems, the threats and challenges they face, and their contribution to livelihoods and food systems.

At the 2016 FAO Regional Conference for Europe, the Republic of Slovenia proposed World Bee Day to be celebrated on May 20th each year, with the support of Apimondia, the International Federation of Beekeepers’ Association.

The proposal for World Bee Day was submitted for consideration at the 40th Session of the FAO Conference in 2017.
Later, the UN General Assembly unanimously proclaimed May 20 as World Bee Day, and on May 20, 2018, was the first World Bee Day observed across the world.

Importance of bees to humanity and the environment

Bees are part of the biodiversity on which we all depend for our survival. They provide high-quality food—honey, royal jelly and pollen — and other products such as beeswax, propolis and honey bee venom.

As the landmark 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) notes, “Sacred passages about bees in all the worlds’ major religions highlight their significance to human societies over millennia.”

Beekeeping also provides an important source of income for many rural livelihoods. According to IPBES, the western honey bee is the most widespread managed pollinator globally, and more than 80 million hives produce an estimated 1.6 million tonnes of honey annually.

For centuries, bees, among the hardest-working creatures on the planet, have benefited people, plants, and the environment. 
By carrying pollen from one flower to another, bees and other pollinators enable not only the production of an abundance of fruits, nuts, and seeds, but also more variety and better quality, contributing to food security and nutrition.

According to FAO, pollinators such as bees, birds, and bats affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production, increasing the output of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide, plus many plant-derived medicines. 

Three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human use as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators.
“By observing World Bee Day each year, we can raise awareness of the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and of the many challenges they face today.” FAO

The agency said we have been celebrating this day since 2018, thanks to the efforts of the government of Slovenia, with the support of Apimondia, that led the UN General Assembly to declare May 20 as World Bee Day.

Today, bees, pollinators, and many other insects are declining in abundance. This day provides an opportunity for all of us, whether we work for governments, organizations, or civil society or are concerned citizens, to promote actions that will protect and enhance pollinators and their habitats, improve their abundance and diversity, and support the sustainable development of beekeeping.