New hope for bees: The POLLI & BEEs project

The South-West State Enterprise (SWSE) has officially announced the start of work on the strategic project POLLI & BEEs. The initiative aims to address the critical problem of declining bee populations and the loss of biodiversity in the cross-border region between Bulgaria and Greece.

The project is funded by the "Interreg VI-A Greece – Bulgaria 2021 – 2027" program and has a total budget of over two million euros.

What are the specific activities?

  • Beekeeper training: Courses in the field of sustainable agriculture, biology, and bee pathology.
  • Infrastructure: Construction of bee parks, an information center, and training areas.
  • Ecological measures: Mapping of melliferous vegetation and trees that represent natural habitats for wild bee colonies.
  • Restoration: Renovation of a forest nursery in the Municipality of Simitli and large-scale afforestation with melliferous species.

The SWSE acts as a strategic partner, with the focus falling on the protection of forest territories, including those from the "Natura 2000" network. The project has a duration of 24 months, and in addition to the SWSE, it involves the Municipality of Nestos (Greece), the association "Beekeepers – Blagoevgrad – BEE 2018", and the Ministry of Interior of Greece.