Last updated: October 2021
To promote bee-keeping, the city created the Bee Trail - a circuit where visitors can discover Ljubljana's beekeeping heritage and the significance of bees for our survival. The Bee Trail was designed and opened in 2015 as one of the activities within the Green Capital of Europe 2016 project. It was originally conceived only as an actual route between individual locations related to beekeeping and bees in Ljubljana. Through the participatory principle of working with individual members, however, it has been shown that the path is much more than just a work program or project. It has become synonymous with all activities related to bees and beekeeping in Ljubljana. Since 2011, the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association has awarded municipalities the title of the most bee-friendly municipality. The City of Ljubljana has been awarded the most bee-friendly municipality - in 2017 and 2019. (1)
Botanical Garden
Photographer: Dunja Wedam, retrieved 09/20/2018 from Sonja Juranovič (Promotial Material Production Coordinator)
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Other
- Parks and urban forests
- Other
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Project objectives
The goals of the project are:
(a) increase and development of beekeeping in the wider area of the City of Ljubljana (education of beekeepers, financial aid for the development of activities, co-financing the operation of five beekeeping societies),
(b) development of beekeeping in the urban core, where the emphasis is on safety, awareness and education of citizens, the rules of beekeeping in the urban space,
(c) creating new tourist products by presenting the natural and cultural heritage associated with beekeeping in the city,
educating the youngest and designing pedagogical programs, and
(d) development of new urban apiaries and bee stands. (1 and 2)
Implementation activities
Organized tours of the Bee trail, development of the urban beehives and deployment across the city. In addition, following implementation activities are taking place,
(a) a physical path that connects the city and the countryside into a whole.
(b) a network of beekeepers, cultural, educational and health organizations, companies, non-governmental organizations, as well as individuals interested in beekeeping and its development in urban areas.
(c) an educational program aimed at raising the awareness of key target groups about the importance of bees.
(d) think-tank and an incubator for the development of new business ideas.
(e) a movement that unites all interested parties who want to maintain high environmental awareness. (1 and 2)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Preserve and strengthen habitat connectivity
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Biodiversity offsets
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
- Create and use scientific knowledge for conservation
- Protect and apply traditional knowledge and conservation practices
Biodiversity restoration:
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore valued species
- Restore ecological connectivity
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Food producers and cultivators (i.e. farmers, gardeners)
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The initiative is taken by the City Municipality of Ljubljana. Five bee keeping societies: Barje, Ljubljana Moste-Polje, Tacen, Ljubljana Center and the Urban Beekeepers Association. Individual volunteers and association are invited and welcome to join free of charge. (1 and 6)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(Green Capital 2016 - directly mentioned European Green Capital Award (EGCA) is a policy tool the European Commission is using to address urban sustainability challenges, which recognises and rewards local efforts to improve the environment, the economy and the quality of life in cities. 7th Environment Action Programme (EAP) underpins the EGCA as a policy tool which is directly mentioned in the documents. (2))
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased protection of threatened species
- Enhanced support of pollination
- Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales
Economic impacts
- Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Generation of income from NBS
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Green Ljubljana. (2016) "Homeland of the Urban Bee.", available at Source link [site under construction as on 2nd November, 2020]
2. Ljubljana Municipality. (2016) "Čebelja Pot" available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
3. Sustain Europe. (2016) "Going Green" available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
4. Leadbeater, Chris. (2017) "The surprising nation that loves bees more than anywhere else in the world." available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
5. BTC. (2016) The buzz in town. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
6. Ljubljana Municipality. (2020) Čebela v Ljubljani. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
7. Hotel park, B&B hotels (2020) BEE PATH. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
2. Ljubljana Municipality. (2016) "Čebelja Pot" available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
3. Sustain Europe. (2016) "Going Green" available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
4. Leadbeater, Chris. (2017) "The surprising nation that loves bees more than anywhere else in the world." available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
5. BTC. (2016) The buzz in town. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
6. Ljubljana Municipality. (2020) Čebela v Ljubljani. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
7. Hotel park, B&B hotels (2020) BEE PATH. available at Source link. accessed on 2nd November, 2020.
Bee Trail
Photographer: Aleš Fevžer, retrieved 09/20/2018 from Sonja Juranovič (Promotial Material Production Coordinator)