Partnership projects tackling nature crisis

Projects are taking place across Scotland to try to reverse biodiversity loss and support pollinating insects.

A wealth of projects to help pollinators is taking place across Scotland to tackle biodiversity loss and the nature crisis, a new NatureScot report has revealed.

The Pollinator Strategy 2022 Progress Report highlights the work of organisations coming together across the country to create wildflower meadows, connect habitats, and gather evidence on how climate change is affecting pollinators.

This fifth report on the wide range of projects helping to deliver the strategy details the progress made by a range of environmental bodies, local authorities, scientific colleagues and community groups through to individuals in order to make Scotland a place where pollinators thrive.

Pollinator-friendly practices have been on the increase around housing and golf courses, with impactful projects such as the Irvine to Girvan Nectar Network establishing a Scottish Wildlife Trust-led partnership.

The project builds connected habitat networks for wild pollinators and increases the resilience of local pollinator populations.

Twelve new meadows have been created, and sites supported and enhanced included Eglinton Country Park, areas around Royal Troon Golf Club and 2ha of public greenspace.

In a year which enjoyed a return to a near-normal season of field work following the pandemic, the Pollinator Monitoring Research Partnership gathered valuable data from both 1km square surveys and Flower-Insect-Timed Count (FIT-Count) exercises.

The new app, to enable FIT-Count reporting to be carried out digitally, proved to be extremely popular as was the presence of a revamped UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme website. The importance of gathering evidence of change in populations of pollinating insects is vital to Scotland’s ambition to halt biodiversity loss by 2030

Jim Jeffrey, NatureScot pollinator strategy manager, said: “We’re fortunate that across Scotland a range of inspirational partners continue to help achieve a better environment for pollinators.”

For tips for how to help pollinators at home see NatureScot’s Make Space For Nature campaign, and follow the Scottish Pollinators blog for updates on projects across Scotland.