Rotary International officially recognised the International Bee Rotary Fellowship in April 2020. This Fellowship aims to bring together Rotarians who are interested in bees and bee-related activities.
In District 9800, another group of Rotarians, also with an interest in bees, formed ‘Rotarians for Bees’ after a David Attenborough program highlighted the decline in the bee population, as well as the impact such a decline in pollinators would have on our food production, security, and economy. Canterbury Rotarian, John McCaskill felt that Rotary would be the perfect organisation to highlight this issue and take it forward, subsequently engaging an enthusiastic group of Rotarians, beekeepers, and industry partners.
‘Rotarians for Bees’ (R4B) has since expanded rapidly to include all five Districts in Victoria, achieving considerable awareness and interest in the welfare and future survival of bees and pollinators. This awareness and membership growth has come about through partnering with the Wheen Bee Foundation (national industry support body), state and local governments, associations such as Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria, and other industry and not-for-profit organisations.
For information on Rotarians for Bees, you can visit: https://rotariansforbees.org/
For more information on International Bee Rotary Fellowship, you can visit: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalBeeRotaryFellowship/