Joint Declaration by 11 Environmental Organizations: 'We are all in the Same Hive'

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Bee deaths are on the rise in Turkey as well as all around the world.

11 environmental organizations, including World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Turkey and Greenpeace Mediterranean have released a joint declaration, saying "If necessary measures are not taken without wasting time, all the diverse living beings and our food will be in danger."

The organizations have said, "Bees do not only produce honey; but, a third of the food we consume also comes to our plates thanks to them. Because bees help pollination when flying around the flowers. In that way, they help plants to reproduce and maintain plant diversity. In other words, it is not possible to think a world without bees."

Highlights from the declaration are as follows:

What are the neonicotinoids?

"The pesticides, which are used in agricultural production, are a leading cause of the decrease in bee population.

"Scientific research shows that neonicotinoids, which are a type of pesticides chemically related to nicotine, can directly kill bees as well as causing damage on the nervous system of bees, which can result in paralysis, loss of memory and learning ability disorders.

Why are bees dying?

"According to Uludağ University Beekeeping Development and Application Center, bee deaths have generally increased and bee death rates, which were around 20 percent for years, have reached 70 percent in some regions in Turkey.

"In a research conducted in the Eastern Thrace region, "imidacloprid", a type of neonicotinoids, was seen in 25 percent of the soil examples and 35 percent of the flower examples collected from the sunflower fields.

"In the same research, it was found that almost half of the examples contain enough neonicotinoids to kill bees.

Use of neonicotinoids is not banned in Turkey

"Most pesticides cause what is called "colony collapse syndrome" on bees. These chemicals can be applied to seeds, hence when the plant is growing, it continues to contain the chemicals. Insects that made contact with the plants die as a result.

"The European Union (EU) banned the use of three types of neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin ve thiamethoxam) except for greenhouse usage this year. Those chemicals are freely and widely used in Turkey.

'Ban the neonicotinoids'

"There are many steps to be taken to stop bee deaths. We, as the civil society organizations who have signed this declaration, demand that the Agriculture and Forest Ministry take the first step and ban the neonicotinoids that kill the bees and make necessary inspections regularly.

"Humans are just one of the living beings in the world. Production without damaging, poisoning and affecting the world is possible.

"With the hope of a world where protecting the nature is not necessary."

The organizations penning the declaration

Wheat Association for Supporting Ecological Life, Association for Protecting Environment and Bees (ÇARIK), Foundation of Protecting Environmental and Cultural Values (ÇEKÜL), Nature Association, Center for Protecting Nature (DKM), Greenpeace, Northern Forests Defense (KOS), Turkey Central Beekeepers Union (TAB), WWF-Turkey, Earth Association, Green Thought Association.

(OI/PT/VK)