The ACT Assembly has backed measures to protect Canberra's bees and other pollinators, but questions remain over funding. The Varroa mite is spreading across the territory and has destroyed more than 1000 of Canberra's estimated 6000 hives. Opposition MLA Elizabeth Lee said the Budget lacked dedicated funding for the Nature Conservation Strategy. Environment Minister Suzanne Orr said existing programs already support the work and that further investment would be considered. No new funding was announced during the debate.
A new Australian certification program is helping farmers protect the pollination services that support farm productivity. Pollinator Positive Farming gives farmers and land managers a practical framework to protect and support bees and other pollinators. Developed by the Wheen Bee Foundation, the program helps farmers assess how their properties support pollinators. It also helps them find practical ways to improve habitat, food sources and farm management practices.
Australian flying foxes are facing a mass starvation event, following heatwaves earlier this summer that hit their populations hard. Rescue organisations across the country have received a flood of calls in recent months. Most cases involve grey-headed flying foxes, a species listed as vulnerable under federal environment laws. Shaun Dourado spoke with Professor Matthew Hayward from the University of Newcastle about the situation and the important ecological role these animals play as pollinators.
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Reports along the east coast describe a major starvation event affecting grey-headed flying foxes, a key pollinator of eastern Australia's forests. Wildlife carer Janine Davies says preliminary testing shows emaciation and dehydration. She links this to a dry winter that left eucalypts flowering with little or no nectar. Carers are also seeing large numbers of aborted and premature young this breeding season. Anyone finding a distressed bat is advised to call WIRES.
