nature today | National Bijentelling wins the NWO Communication Initiative Award 2021

From November 29 to December 3, he reached NWO Domain Exact and Natural Sciences (ENW) five special scientific prizes. One of them is the Communication Initiative Award. The award recognizes scientists for their efforts and the way they inspire others in the field of science communication. As the winner, the National Bijentelling will receive an amount of € 10,000, intended for communication activities.

Biodiversity crisis in the living room

The national bee count is an initiative of beekeeping experts Prof. dr. Koos Biesmeijer and Dr. ing. Vincent Kalkman, both associated with Naturalis. Anyone in the Netherlands can participate in scientific research at the annual event. National campaign raises public awareness of the importance of wild bees for our diet, and puts young and old to work for half an hour to count the different types of bees in their own garden. According to the jury, the researchers are bringing an important and urgent subject, the biodiversity crisis, directly into the living rooms of all Dutch people.

The jury salutes the ease with which participants can participate in the study. “With this initiative, researchers can reach a very large and diverse audience, who are introduced to science and nature. In addition, the researchers not only increase the involvement of society in scientific research, but they also call for the protection of bees and provide concrete guidelines to this effect “, according to the NWO jury. example of citizen science.

New ideas

The researchers and the team at National Bijentelling are incredibly proud of this award. Kalkman: “Everyone is more and more aware of the importance of wild bees and is ready to get involved. The National Bee Count makes this possible. It’s wonderful to see that our efforts are so appreciated. Annual garden counts contribute to research on wild bees in the Netherlands, giving researchers new insight into, for example, differences between regions, or the urban and rural environment.

The team already has ideas for using the money won: “Thanks to the prize, we can reach even more people. We will explore how we can get even more participants and certain groups to join the count, such as schools. It must be possible for everyone to contribute to the protection of wild bees, ”says Biesmeijer. The National Bijentelling 2022 will take place the weekend of April 23 and 24.

About the national bee count

The National Bijentelling is an annual survey by Naturalis, LandschappenNL, IVN Nature Education and Nature & Environment which is conducted by citizens. The research provides scientists with insight into bee population trends in the Netherlands. By learning more about the state of bees in our country, the bee can be better protected. The bee count is organized in collaboration with EIS Knowledge Center Insects and Waarneming.nl.

More information

• For more information on the NWO award winners, visit NWO.nl.
• Want to know more about the national bee count? Then go to Nationalebijentelling.nl.

Text: Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Photos: Jochem Kühnen; Marten van Dijl