Acronym
CarpathianBee
NUMBER
PBU2/0941/18
Project type
Micro-project
STATUS
Completed
THEMATIC OBJECTIVE
HERITAGE
PRIORITY
1.2 Promotion and preservation of natural heritage
PARTNERSHIP
PL-UA
LEAD BENEFICIARY
Non-government organization Association of Beekeeper "Carpathian eco-apiary" (Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine)
BENEFICIARY
Kolochava Village Council (Zakarpattya Oblast, Ukraine)
Association of self-governments "Euroregion Carpathians - Ukraine" (Lviv Oblast, Ukraine)
Association for Development and Promotion of Podkarpacie "Pro Carpathia" (Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland)
A small greyish bee, which can be often seen flying above the Carpathian flowers in summer, is a real explorer. Native of these areas, Carpathian bee or Karpatka is currently bred as far as the Caucasian Mountains. This little hero is hard-working, peaceful and resilient to weather adversities. Its honey is one of the typical local products of this area. Unfortunately, climate change, the use of pesticides and cross-breeding have reduced the number of purebred Carpathian bees by nearly 40%.
The CarpathianBee project team believes that this amazing creature is a part of the local natural heritage and must be protected along with beekeeping traditions. To achieve this, a number of activities are planned. Scientific and monitoring expeditions to high-altitude apiaries in Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia regions will allow to study the breed composition and determine the level of variability of the breed in different seasons. Also, nucleus beehives and queen rearing system will be purchased in Velykyi Rozhyn to involve more beekeepers. Moreover, two open-air events in Smodna and Kolochava, as well as the Carpathian Honey Festival in Kolochava, will represent and promote the history of beekeeping in the Carpathians. In addition, five new tourist trails will be created on both sides of the border, connecting the main beekeeping locations. In Poland, the workshop on beeswax candle making will be organised in Rzeszów for representatives of different Carpathian regions: Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattya and Lviv region on the Ukrainian side and Podkarpackie Voivodeship on the Polish side. The workshop will draw the attention to preserving and promotion aboriginal Carpathian bee.
Joint solutions for tourism, building up awareness, promotion of the region identity are the main results of the project contributing to preservation of Carpathian bee and beekeeping traditions, enhancing the ecological awareness of the Ukrainian-Polish borderland. And tourists will get a new attraction and will be able to bring home an authentic Carpathian souvenir.
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