Information for Convention on Biological Diversity website
Linking with the IBD Theme
Although Scottish Biodiversity Week does not have a theme, we have focussed on raising awareness about declining bumblebee populations in Scotland (and in the UK generally). We have linked to the International Biodiversity Day (IBD) theme of biodiversity and agriculture through making the point that bumblebees are important crop pollinators (for example for raspberries, broad beans and runner beans) but that their populations are declining due to changing land management practices particularly to do with intensive farming. This has meant declines in habitats like hedgerows and meadows. These are the kinds of habitats where the particular wildflowers that bumblebees need for their food – i.e. nectar and pollen grow. We are emphasising that people can help bumblebees by planting bumblebee friendly plants in their gardens - of which there are 16 million in the U.K.
To promote this latter fact, we have distributed 20,000 packs of bumblebee friendly wildflower seeds to organisers of Biodiversity Week events - you can see a scanned image of these seed packs
http://www.snh.org.uk/biodiversityweek/promotion.asp.
What else we are doing this year for the Week
Our website has been up and running for a while.
We have 140 events currently listed in our online Events Diary and more events are being added all the time by organisations throughout Scotland. Current events include the chance to go sea kayaking on Scotland’s North West coastline to experience Scotland’s scenery and wildlife; a guided walk through ancient Caledonian woodland in the heart of Scotland and a street theatre event called Zoom to explain biodiversity through the Arts.
We are running a photography competition on the theme of Natural Inspiration with fantastic prizes for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners including an all expenses paid day with expert wildlife photographer Neil McIntyre, a fabulous whale and dolphin watching trip on the Isle of Mull (off the west coast of Scotland), and one year's subscription to the BBC Wildlife magazine. (Last year we had over 400 entries to the photo competition and we are hoping for another great response).
We are also running an Online Quiz with prizes being tickets to outstanding places of learning in Scotland such as the Glasgow Science Centre, Edinburgh's Dynamic Earth Centre and the Scottish Seabird Centre. For more on the quiz please see the paragraph below on the Children's Portal.
We have distributed 50,000 promotional leaflets about the Week outlining describing our Top 10 events, photography competition and online quiz.
In the News
The Week was launched in Edinburgh on Wednesday 14th May by the Scottish Environment Minister Michael Russell. These are some of the press releases that were generated:
More press releases are planned for the photography competition and also for the different regions in Scotland.
Event details
We have identified our Top 10 events this year which we publicised through a leaflet that was commissioned for the purpose of raising awareness of the Week. Other events taking place during the Week link to agriculture through the issue of bumblebee conservation:
On the 24th of May, Rangers at Mugdock Country Park, Milngavie, Glasgow will lead an event to help people identify different bumblebee species.
On the 21st of May, Anne-Marie Smout, Bee enthusiast, will give a lunch time lecture on this fascinating subject in Perth.
Prof Dave Goulson, Director of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, will lead a lead a bumblebee walk around the Scottish Crop Research Institute.
Farmers’ Markets events further make the link between biodiversity and agriculture – and on 24th May, farmer's markets will be held in Banff and Aberdeen.
Children's Portal - Promotion
We are promoting the CBD Children's Portal through the Scottish Biodiversity Week online quiz - each day during the Week we are posting a question about biodiversity. The question for 22nd May requires an answer that must be obtained from the Portal.
