Change from the ground up, towards a more sustainable and environmentally respectful society, is possible — Bavaria proves it, where citizens have stood up in defence of bees and won. Last February, around one million 750,000 citizens — roughly 18 per cent of the population — signed a petition calling for a referendum to protect these precious pollinating insects. The initiative proved so successful that the Bavarian government, rather than putting the petition to a referendum, decided simply to turn the proposals contained in the petition into law.

Read also: Bavaria, over one and a half million citizens call for a referendum to save the bees

How to protect bees

The proposed law, which will need to be approved by parliament, will therefore incorporate the initiatives suggested in the referendum proposal, including the goal of ensuring that 20 per cent of agricultural land meets organic standards by 2025, rising to 30 per cent by 2030. Ten per cent of green spaces in Bavaria will also have to be converted into wildflower meadows, to provide a suitable habitat for bees, and waterways will need to be protected more effectively from pesticides and fertilisers.

A historic result

"We are taking the text of the referendum word for word," said Bavaria's minister-president, Markus Söder. The leader of the Christian Social Union also reassured farmers, who fear economic repercussions for their businesses, that they will be supported during the transition period. "This result is a milestone for nature protection in Bavaria," commented Ludwig Hartmann, one of the leaders of the Green Party, which, together with the Bavarian Ecological Democratic Party (Ödp) and several conservation organisations, supported the campaign to promote the referendum. "It is a reason to be happy, but also an incentive to jointly advance other important projects for the protection of the environment and the climate."

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Insects to be saved

Adopting the "save-the-bees" proposals would help to halt the decline of these pollinating insects, which are fundamental to the survival of three quarters of crops. Around the world, insect populations are subject to drastic rates of decline and 40 per cent of species risk extinction, above all due to human impact. The disappearance of these small animals would have serious repercussions on ecosystems and, inevitably, on our own species. Protecting them is essential, and Bavarian citizens, through their active participation, have shown that it simply takes the will to do so.