Ljubljana, the Most Bee-Friendly Municipality
Awarded two times by Slovenia’s Beekeepers Association, Ljubljana developed a path through the city to learn about green spaces and pollinators
Photo by Luka Dakskobler - www.visitberlin.de
Teaching the youngest generations in society about biodiversity and food systems is fundamental but raising awareness among adults is also essential. Ljubljana is leading the way in this regard. The city also created a mobile application that tells the city centre’s history and the story of pollinators and the environment.
The Bee Path was opened in 2015 by the city of Ljubljana (SI), a municipality aware of the importance of pollinators for the sustainability of cities. The path is designed in such a way that visitors can comprehend the importance of bees for our survival and our food security, discover the necessity of honey in our daily diet, but also find out more about the city's beekeeping culture. Various stakeholders are involved in the initiative: educational, cultural and health institutions, businesses, NGOs, and of course, beekeepers.
As a matter of fact, two-thirds of the total surface of Ljubljana are rural areas, in which 826 farms operate. The city puts great emphasis on self-sustainability. By doing so, Ljubljana tries to shorten food supply chains and ensure food sovereignty.
The City of Ljubljana is firmly linked to beekeeping. Around 300 beekeepers maintain more than 4 500 beehives housing as many as 180 million bees. In the Strategy for Rural Development of the City of Ljubljana (2014-2020), the quality of agriculture and forestry goods, with the aim of self-sufficiency, is one of the important goals that should be achieved by an increase of beekeeping in rural and urban areas. There is a support system for bees, and recommendations for all residents that want to keep bees in urban areas.
Within the Bee Path programme, the urban beehives and bee stands have been designed to meet the demands of urban space. The city has also planted melliferous plants and trees with an emphasis on indigenous plants. Thus, the biodiversity has been maintained, and due to the higher number of pollinators, the self-sufficiency of the city has increased.
The city administration and Ljubljana Tourist Board have created a bee-keeping education trail for tourists that connects the main locations of Ljubljana’s bee-keepers. Numerous promotional actions and presentations create bridges of understanding between beekeepers and citizens.
“People have grown to consider insects as nuisances and developed ways to keep them away. In some cases, we even fear them; that’s why Ljubljana has also created a phone line to manage swarms. But biodiversity can’t exist without them. We want locals to understand insects’ importance and invite them to create spaces that become excellent homes for them. One way to take care of pollinators is to preserve flowering meadows. When we started mowing public green areas only after pollinators' activity was finished so that they could thrive, locals were furious because it gave the city a look of neglect,” - explains Maruška Markovčič, Senior Advisor for the Department of Environmental Protection and Rural Development at the City of Ljubljana
However, the sort of orderly, clean-cut green grass they wanted is a green desert for pollinators. - “We started this action explaining the reason behind it, and now, people are calling to ask: Why did you mow the grass yesterday? There were so many different insects. It was alive, and now it’s barren.”
Residents can also learn directly from beekeepers. They can visit the apiaries in the city centre or rent one to get directly involved. - “By learning how to take care of pollinators, they will increase their chances to have locally produced food,” - says Markovčič.
A stimulating environment for pollinators means better crops and their well-being is also a good indicator of a healthy environment for everyone. “If the environment is healthy for the bees, it is for us too. That’s why Ljubljana is doing its best to “enrich the urban jungle with bees,” - says Crnek Dejan, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ljubljana.
Do you want to read more on this topic?