Protesters dress as bees and flowers in Worcester to highlight biodiversity loss
The XR activists were out over the weekend in a bid to get people thinking about 'leaving room for nature'
Last updated 29th Jun 2024
Extinction Rebellion protesters say 'local rebels' were in Worcester City Centre over the weekend - wearing bee costumes.
It was in a bid to highlight the climate crisis, the use of pesticides and the loss of biodiversity in our current climate.
They took to the street dressed as bees and flowers and danced to the “Bee Song” by Arthur Askey, whilst spraying a can of fake insecticide before collapsing on the ground.
The narration around the performance asked, ‘What will the world be without the buzzy buzzy bees’?
During their performance, the narration asked: "Who cares about insects? They’re just annoying little bugs, aren’t they…?
"And of course, bees pollinate our food don’t they!
"Actually, so do lots of other insects. Without bees and other insects, we wouldn’t have most of our food.
"No insects, no food.
"And now our insects are in big trouble. In the UK, we’ve lost over half of our flying insects, like butterflies and bees, in the last 20 years. We’ve built over their homes and sprayed them with pesticides. Big industrial businesses have taken over from traditional family farms, and industrial farming doesn’t leave much room for nature.
"Many birds need to eat insects. Some lovely birds we used to commonly see, like grey partridges and nightingales, have become extremely rare in the past 50 years, and others have become extinct in the UK. They have nothing to eat."
Earlier this year, the Government announced a new action plan in a bid to protect Great Britain’s biodiversity, ecosystems and economy from the growing risks posed by invasive non-native species.
It was launched in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, with non-native species bringing an estimated cost to the British economy of £1.84 billion per year.
At the time of the announcement back in February, Lord Benyon, Minister for Biosecurity, said: "Invasive species threaten the natural world and our economy. Today’s announcement demonstrates this Government’s unwavering commitment to protecting against these species, for the immediate benefit of the country and future generations.
"Through coordinated actions across Great Britain to prevent the arrival of new non-native species and tackle the impacts of those established – we can minimise the potentially devasting environmental and economic impacts these species cause. A vigilant public can also play a key role and report any suspicious sightings of new invasive species to ensure it is accurately identified."
You can read about what was said at the 2022 COP 27 meeting of nations about biodiversity - and the need to protect the Paris Agreement - on the UN's website.
You can read more about the Government's 2023 Environmental Improvement Plan here.