Tasmanian beekeepers suffer setbacks as fires rage in the forest
Tasmanian beekeepers suffer setbacks as fires rage in the forest
16 February 2016
published by www.themercury.com.au
Australia– Robbie and Nicola Charles have been living in crisis for a month.
Low-flying helicopters, evacuations and worried customers are a constant reminder of the peril surrounding the owners of Blue Hills Honey.
For most Tasmanians, the 2016 bushfires have been too remote to hit home.
But for the award-winning beekeepers the fires have hit right where it hurts.
When the fire started we were just about to hit harvest. The roads were shut, so we couldnt actually move in or service the bees for a period of time, Ms Charles said yesterday. So we are 80 per cent down on harvest.
We only have that one time a year where we get that income.
Blues Hill Honey is in Mawbanna in the states North-West. On its doorstep is a monster inferno that has burned more than 63,000ha.
Three weeks ago, the fire came within 200m of the business as it burned through plantation forest.
Staff were forced to evacuate when strong winds drove the blaze to within metres of a workers cottage down the road.
Since the fire broke out from lightning strikes, the owners and their 17 staff have been on high alert.
As far as being out the woods, theres always the risk from embers if we get the wrong wind. There are still active hotspots out here, Ms Charles said.
We have bee boxes stored. Theyre highly flammable because of the natural beeswax. So were on alert.
Early on there seemed to be a disconnect between the reality of the fires and how they were being viewed.
Because there was no immediate threat to homes there seemed to be this feeling, its not that serious its just part of nature let it burn. But its burnt 18 per cent of Circular Head, she said. Its a big slather of working forest, a big slather of the natural resource, for tourism and obviously for honey production.
How serious that will be I dont think well know for another year or two.
Most of their business is in leatherwood honey, unique to Tasmania, with a large amount of it exported.
They have a enough honey in stock for customers, but with the fire debilitating the harvest for a number of beekeepers, the price of leatherwood honey is expected to rise.
During the next few days Blue Hills will examine the impact on their leatherwood trees. Ms Charles is hoping the moisture keeps them safe because leatherwood does not regenerate once burnt.
Until then, their fingers are crossed.
Según el Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP), las quemas de vegetación le costaron a Colombia $476 millones el año pasado. “La suma de las pérdidas anuales de servicios ecosistémicos es de cerca de $2,9 billones de pesos, que equivale a una pérdida anual aproximada de $323 mil millones, equivalente a 0,04% del PIB”, añadió el Director. Las zonas más afectadas son Magdalena, Cundinamarca, Huila, Boyacá y Casanare. Además de esto, Gaviria esta pérdida se extendería para los próximos años, pues la recuperación de los bosques y los ecosistemas podría tardar al rededor de 30 años. Por eso, el director del DNP hizo una llamado a proteger los bosques y explicó que no son “mero paisajismo”, pues ayudan a regular el agua y los sedimentos, y a capturar el carbono. Un informe del Departamento Nacional de Planeación reunió las cifras que en pesos dejaron los incendios forestales en todo el país. Estas acciones han evitado que los efectos del fenómeno de El Niño tanto en incendios forestales como en disminución la oferta hídrica del país fuera más altos considerando la gravedad del fenómeno. Pasion Noticias http://pasionsports.com/2016/02/incendios-por-fen-meno-de-el-ni-o-costaron-476-mil-millones/
