Uncoincidental meeting: A strong interest in RefuBees
We were honoured to receive an invitation for a lobbying visit to the Bavarian parliament, located in Munich. Remarkably, during our visit, we fortuitously crossed paths with the deputy mayor of Burghausen, a meeting where the narrative of RefuBees struck a resonant chord. Burghausen stands at the vanguard of innovation and ecological consciousness, a status enriched by its illustrious history of educational institutions encompassing a wide spectrum of subjects, from art and cultural performance academies to rigorous scientific and technological disciplines.
Partnership with Burghausen: A strategic plan for ecological innovation
Subsequently, a series of meetings were convened, marking the inception of our collaborative efforts to devise a strategic plan that would assimilate the city into a broader framework, one harbouring the potential to propel Bavaria’s biodiversity infrastructure to new heights. This shows another step towards Mayor Florian Schneider’s concrete ideas on how he would like to make the “most beautiful city in the world” even more lovable and liveable than before, so that Burghausen shines with its cosmopolitanism and versatility far beyond the regional borders for the people of Burghausen to be proud of.
The TUM Science & Study Centre: An ideal place for academic discussions
In the immediate vicinity of the town is the former Raitenhaslach Monastery, which has been converted into the TUM Science & Study Centre through the partnership with the Technical University of Munich. It is an ideal location for an international, academic discourse that fits seamlessly with our objective and that of the City of Burghausen.
BeeTotems in Burghausen: Selection and support of native wild bee species
In collaboration with the city, we outlined a plan to conduct a series of case studies featuring BeeTotems strategically positioned across various locations within Burghausen. These installations would spotlight specific native wild bee species. To ascertain the most suitable species for our project, we sought guidance from experts in the field, including specialists from the Bavarian Academy for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management (ANL) and the Nature Museum in Salzburg. These institutions, conveniently located near Burghausen, played a pivotal role in steering our focus toward the right bee species.
Image: Florian Schneider (Mayor) and Stefan Angstl (Deputy) at the biannual ceremony on the first of May, when the ‘Maibaum’, the local Totem variant, is erected.