ILBF documentary Plean Bee gives an insight into the All Ireland Pollinator Plan
Date Posted: May 13, 2021
TG4 will air an Irish Language Broadcast Fund documentary, Plean Bee, on World Bee Day, Thursday 20th May at 9:30pm about the internationally acclaimed All Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) and how it is mobilising individuals and communities to reverse pollinator decline across all of Ireland. The one-hour documentary was produced by Dearcán Media.
Bees and pollinators have been declining in Ireland and other countries for decades. As a result of mono-culture, pollution, climate change and disease, this decline comes at a huge cost to agriculture, wildflowers and trees, and to many parts of the natural world that we take for granted.
The 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.
Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick from the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Professor Jane Stout from TCD and Dr. Pól Mac Cana from Belfast tells viewers about 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 and butterflies and hoverflies to take into account.
Viewers 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 different 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. In each case we witness the crucial steps we can all take to help protect our environment.
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 Fitzpatrick 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.’
Craolfar an clár Plean Bee atá maoinithe ag an Chiste Craoltóireachta Gaeilge ar TG4 ar Lá Domhanda na mBeach, an 20 Bealtaine ag 9.30i.n. Clár faisnéise léiríthe ag Dearcán Media, a thabharfaidh léargas ar an bplean Uile-Éireann um Pailneoirí. Is plean radacach é chun meath na mbeach agus na bpailneoirí a chur ina cheart ar fud na hÉireann.
Tá meath na mbeach agus na bpailneoirí ag tarlú le blianta fada in Éirinn – de bharr móin a bheith á baint, cultúir, truaillithe, athrú aeráide agus galair. Íocfaidh lucht talmhaíochta go daor as an meath seo, tiocfaidh meath ar bhláthanna fiáine agus crainn, agus go leor gnéithe eile den dúlra a bhfuil neamhaird déanta dóibh.
Cuireadh tús leis an bPlean Uile-Éireann um Pailneoirí (AIPP) sa bhliain 2015. Is plean uathúil é a bhfuil mar aidhm leis meath na bpailneoirí a iompú droim ar ais trí chaidreamh a chothú le sochaí na hÉireann, chun arm saoránach de gharraíodóirí, d’fheirmeoirí, de ghrúpaí pobail agus de ghrúpaí spóirt, de chomhairlí agus d’úinéirí eile talún a spreagadh gan dochar a dhéanamh do Phailneoirí, an timpeallacht a chosaint agus, trí sin a dhéanamh, na glúnta atá le teacht a chosaint freisin.
Inseoidh an Dr. Úna Fitzpatrick ón Ionad Náisiúnta Bithéagsúlachta, an tOllamh Jane Stout ó TCD, agus an Dr. Pól Mac Cana, ó Bhéal Feirste dúinn faoin iomad pailneoirí a oibríonn ar ár son, an bheach mheala, an bhumbóg, chomh maith leis na 77 speiceas den bheach aonair – beacha aonair de mhéideanna agus de dhathanna iontacha arb iad na pailneoirí is mó sa tír iad. Cé gurb iad na beacha is cúis leis an gcuid is mó den phailniú, ní mór na foichí, na leamhain, na féileacáin agus na beacha gabhair a thabhairt san áireamh.
Cluintear faoi mheath na ngnáthóg agus faoi fhoinsí an bhia, fadhbanna a gcaitheann na pailneoirí dul i ngleic leo. Gairdíní, páirceanna agus fál sceach a bhfuil diansaothrú déanta orthu, nó ar a gcuirtear lotnaidicídí, atá ag scriosadh gnáthóga nádúrtha na bpailneoirí a bhfuil dídean agus foinsí bia éagsúla de dhíth orthu le linn na bliana. Cothromaíocht leochaileach an nádúir – is iad a dhéanann torthaí agus barra, na crainn agus na bláthanna fiáine a phailniú – déantar sin ar mhaithe le bia agus dídean dóibh féin – ach tá an córas seo as riocht, agus tá na pailneoirí ag snámh in aghaidh easa.
Tá sé mar aidhm ag an AIPP, a sheol Úna agus Jane in 2015, go leor de shochaí na hÉireann a spreagadh chun gnáthóga agus foinsí bia a chosaint. D’fhoilsigh an AIPP pleananna gnímh do gach cineál gníomhaí, agus in Plean Bee, féachfar ar mar a laghdaigh Comhairle Chathair Dhoire agus Ceantar an tSratha Báin chomh minic agus a ghearrtar an féar i rith an tsamhraidh, chun deis a thabhairt do na bláthanna teacht faoi bhláth ar mhaithe leis na pailneoirí. Tabharfar cuairt ar theach gloine an phobail i nDún na nGall, ar scoil i mBaile Átha Cliath a chruthaigh polasaithe neamhdhíobhálacha maidir le Pailneoirí, feirm sa Mhuileann gCearr a leagan fál ar an sean-nós chun bithéagsúlacht a chur chun cinn, agus ar deireadh, tabharfaidh muid cuairt ar bhaile Bhun Cranncha áit ar ndearna an Chomhairle, Coiste na mBailte Slachtmhara agus daoine eile áit chun bláthanna a chur agus a ndéantar timpealláin agus an fearann páirce a chothabháil chun leasa na mbeach agus na bpailneoirí. Tabharfar léargas i ngach cás ar na céimeanna tábhachtacha nach mór dúinn uile a ghlacadh chun an timpeallacht a chosaint.
Mar gheall ar chomh maith agus atá ag eirí le Plean na bPailneoirí agus an bhaint mhór atá ag an bpobal leis, tá tíortha eile, tíortha eile na hEorpa ach go háirithe, ag féachaint ar Éirinn le cuidiú leo staid na bpailneoirí ina dtíortha féin a fheabhsú. Is mór an difear atá an AIPP a dhéanamh, agus mar a deir Úna Fitzpatrick féin, ‘agus an chuid is fearr de, níl muid ag iarraidh ar ‘aon duine amháin’ an fhadhb seo a réiteach, tá muid ag iarraidh ar ‘gach aon duine’ a bheith páirteach, beag beann ar an méid a dhéanann aon duine amháin, le chéile, réiteoidh muid an fhadhb.’
