8 Dutch organisations and local authorities are joining forces as LIFE PolliNature. Together, they aim to halt the decline in pollinator numbers and restore their populations in the coming years. With a European LIFE grant and their own contributions, they are investing 7.5 million euros in bee-friendly landscapes.
Lasting impact for pollinators
The LIFE PolliNature project will run for 5 years, from 2026 to 2031. The partners involved are hoping for a lasting impact. Their aim is to achieve a 50% increase in pollinator populations by 2036, across the projects in all 6 participating provinces.
Beeld: © Staatsbosbeheer, Merijn Loeve
Epeolus variegatus
What are bee landscapes?
Bee landscapes are contiguous habitats for pollinators: interconnected natural areas. Here, pollinators find plenty of flowers, shelter and nesting sites. This helps biodiversity, as many other plants and animals benefit from these areas.
In addition, a bee landscape is a network of organisations working towards this goal. Within the network, these organisations coordinate pollinator-friendly measures to reinforce one another.
Would you like to know how to create a bee landscape? And how to work on this with a network of different organisations? Read more about ‘Bee Landscapes: regional networks for pollinators’ (in Dutch).
How to create a habitat for pollinators?
LIFE PolliNature is taking a number of measures to create a suitable habitat for pollinators.
A few examples:
- The creation of more than 1,650 kilometres of flower-rich verges, dykes, watercourses and hedgerows.
- The creation or improvement of more than 640 hectares of habitat in the provinces of Utrecht, Noord-Brabant, Limburg, Drenthe, Overijssel and Zuid-Holland.
Are the measures working as intended or is more action needed? This is being monitored as part of the projects.
Partners of LIFE PolliNature
The National Bee Strategy (NBS) is the initiator of LIFE PolliNature. Also, the NBS facilitates the project.
The Province of Overijssel coordinates the grant. Do you have any questions about the LIFE PolliNature project? Please contact the Province of Overijssel (in Dutch).
The LIFE PolliNature partnership consists of 8 partners. These partners work with various organisations to create bee-friendly landscapes. Such as local authorities, water boards and nature conservation organisations. They also seek to collaborate with farmers, businesses and local residents.
The partners are listed below:
- Province of Overijssel
- Brabants Landschap
-
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature
-
Naturalis
- Natuur en Milieufederatie Limburg
- Province of Drenthe
- Province of Utrecht
- Province of Zuid-Holland
What is the National Bee Strategy?
The NBS is an initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The aim of the Bee Strategy is to sustainable preserve and promote pollinators and pollination by 2030.
Read more: What is the National Bee Strategy? (in Dutch)
