Project Summary
The BeeKey project is a local initiative that aims to produce open-access taxonomic keys and didactic learning material that can be used to improve wild identification capacities in the country. The project started in June 2025, and it is expected to run until August 2026. It is administrated by the Beelibre core team of Fondation faune-flore (FFF), based at the National Museum of Natural History of Luxembourg (MNHNL) and financed by the funding line “Pollinisateurs” of the Ministère de l’Environnement, du Climat et de la Biodiversité (MECB). On an international level, it works in close collaboration with the project “European Pollinator Identification Courses (EPIC)” to provide training and certification for wild bee taxonomists in the Benelux region. Together, these initiatives complement each other with the aim of improving local wild bee taxonomic capacity for conservation purposes, in line with the EU-PoMS proposal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
Project status
- Proposal accepted by the Ministre de l’Environnement, du Climat et de la Biodiversité.
- Host institution: Fondation faune-flore (FFF) @ Research Center, Musée national d’histoire naturelle (MNHNL).
- Researchers : Fernanda Herrera-Mesías, Antonio Cruz
- Partners: EPIC-Bee, ORBIT project
- Duration: July 2025 – December 2026
Contacts
- Alexander Weigand, Department of Zoology (MNHNL)
phone: (+352) 462240 212
alexander.weigand@mnhn.lu - Fernanda Herrera-Mesías
fernanda.herrera@ext.mnhn.lu - Antonio Cruz
antonio.dorosario@ext.mnhn.lu