Buzzing gardens take center stage to raise awareness among young and old about the role of wild bees

As the school year has just ended, the Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park is taking stock of the awareness-raising activities carried out with students in the six municipalities involved in creating a "buzzing" garden. This is also an opportunity to review the numerous events offered to the general public in connection with these gardens, which serve as true hubs for raising awareness about the preservation of wild bees and their habitats.

A project in support of wild bees

Within the framework of the European program LIFE Wild BeesThe five regional natural parks of Nouvelle-Aquitaine have committed to experimenting with actions to halt the decline of Wild bees, essential for pollination. Launched in 2021, this program is structured around four main areas: improving knowledge, recreating a dense network of suitable habitats, developing a supply of locally sourced plants and seeds, and transmit best practices.

Within this framework, the Park supported the creation and development of so-called "buzzing gardens" in the municipalities of Chalais, Bussière-Badil, Cussac, Dournazac, Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire, and Rilhac-Lastours. These shared green spaces pursue a dual objective: to raise public awareness of the role of pollinators and to ensure the presence of areas favorable to wild bees within the villages. Numerous improvements have thus been made in these gardens designed by and for the residents : plantings, low walls, pathways…

In order to introduce these gardens to as many people as possible, the Park wanted to give them a prominent place in its 2025-2026 territorial education program. Many activities have therefore taken place in recent months in the municipalities concerned, aimed at schools, leisure centers and the general public.

Students (re)discover the buzzing gardens

During the 2025-2026 school year, 13 classes Children from eight primary schools benefited from free activities related to the buzzing gardens, 255 children From the youngest children in preschool to the final year of primary school (CM2).

Organized into cycles of three sessions per class, these activities pursued several objectives. The first session in the classroom allowed students to define what an insect is, understand the role of pollination, and distinguish between wild and domestic bees. During the second session, the students explored the (nearby) buzzing garden in their community in order to...observe and identify insectswhile discovering the principles of the food chain. Finally, a third session engaged them in creating habitats favorable to pollinators, allowing them to to contribute concretely to the preservation of wild bees.

These interventions were carried out by structures members of the network of Educators in the territory, led by the Park. Depending on the classes, the LPO Dordogne, the CPIE Périgord-Limousin and La Soupape Sauvage intervened in close consultation with the teaching teams and the municipalities, whose educational and technical support was invaluable.

Following on from the work carried out in Chalais, the school festival for the Miallet – Saint-Jory-de-Chalais – Chalais – Firbeix Intercommunal Educational Grouping had bees as its theme. Throughout the afternoon, families and children participated in activities and discovered the many projects completed during the year as part of the... interventions funded by the Parkextracurricular workshops and activities conducted in class.

Actions that go far beyond schools

Environmental awareness is all the more effective when it reaches all segments of the population within a given area. The collaborative work carried out by the Park's teams dedicated to the LIFE Wild Bees project and to Education for the Territory has thus enabled the development of numerous initiatives focused on pollinators.

In addition to the school programs, the Park offered about fifteen " Park Meeting ", aimed at the general public, particularly families. The objective of to enhance the six bustling gardensto raise awareness among a wide audience about the issues related to pollinators and to continue planting and making small improvements to these shared spaces. The program includes free activities open to all The program included a show about wild bees, nature investigations, creative workshops, film screenings, and citizen science projects. Local recreation centers also benefited from fun activities related to this theme.

Through these various activities, the youngest participants learned to overcome their fears, understand the essential role of insects, and discover their incredible diversity. The adults, for their part, gained a better understanding of wild bees, still largely unknown, but just as fascinating as the honeybee.

By supporting young and old alike, the Park fully fulfills its mission of preserving biodiversity while strengthening the region's identity and social bonds. These actions are fully aligned with the objective of changing practices, for which raising awareness is the essential first step.