This autumn, pupils from St. Columba’s High School participated in a Fife-wide community project called ‘Fife’s Buzzing’ run by wildlife charity Buglife in partnership with Fife Council. Enthusiastic members of the St. Columba’s Eco-group helped create new wildflower-rich pollinator habitat in Dunfermline’s Public Park.
Across Scotland, the UK and Europe, pollinators such as bees and butterflies are in decline. This is a problem for Scottish nature but it is also a big problem for us. One in every three mouthfuls of food we eat depends on insect pollination and without insect pollination our agricultural industry and food supply would be under serious threat. The reasons for decline of pollinators – such as bees and butterflies – are vast and varied.
One big threat is the loss of wildflower-rich grasslands. Our pollinators require wildflower rich areas to survive and thrive as they provide homes and food for pollinators and a variety of other wildlife. However, these areas have disappeared across Britain with 97% having vanished since World War 2.
Fife’s Buzzing, funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Fife Environment Trust, is a three year project which is splashing colour across the Kingdom with the help of schoolchildren and community groups. The project is creating wildflower meadows to add new and exciting features to local parks and green spaces across Fife in order to provide a space for learning, inspiration and to attract wildlife.
This autumn, pupils from St. Columba’s High School helped create a Fife’s Buzzing meadow in Dunfermline’s Public Park. After a cut from Fife Council, the young people helped by raking hay and planting over 100 wildflower seedlings which will start blossoming in summer 2016. With enthusiastic pupils across Fife, 12 wildflower-rich grasslands have so far been created across the Kingdom. Over 1000 people have been involved, including 18 schools, 8 community groups and the Community Payback by Offenders Scheme. The Community Payback group has been particularly busy this autumn, putting in a collective 475 hours of hard work to help make our parks more colourful and better for bees.
Over the next two years of Fife’s Buzzing we can hope to see many more communities reached and many more essential pollinators homed and fed through the work of Buglife, Fife Council and most importantly, the people of Fife.
For more information or to get involved, please contact Gabrielle Flinn on [email protected] or 01786 447504 or 07912 682591
