On 24 January 2023, the European Commission presented a revised action framework for the 2018 EU Pollinators Initiative. The revision sets out a path for the EU to meet the challenge of pollinator decline and its consequences on food security, human health, quality of life and ecosystems. Together with the proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, it represents a new deal for pollinators in the EU.
The new action framework will contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal, in particular the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork Strategies. It will also provide a valuable contribution to EU progress towards the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals and the commitments agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The revised Pollinators Initiative sets objectives for 2030 and related actions under three priorities:
I: Improving knowledge of pollinator decline, its causes and consequences
II: Improving pollinator conservation and tackling the causes of their decline
III: Mobilising society and promoting strategic planning and cooperation at all levels
Priority I aims to address the remaining significant knowledge gaps by putting in place a robust EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators, undertaking critical assessments and spatial analyses, and promoting targeted research and innovation activities. Among the highlights of this priority are to:
Establish a methodology for an EU pollinator monitoring scheme (EU-PoMS) by 2026
Support research and assessment
Promote capacity building and knowledge sharing
Priority II is focusing on further monitoring and research and innovation activities needed to enable a science-based response to pollinator decline. The actions to estimate the extent and distribution of their impacts on pollinators are the following:
Improve conservation of pollinator species and habitats
Restore pollinator habitats in agricultural landscapes
Enhance pollinator habitats in urban areas
Reduce the impacts of invasive alien species on pollinators
Tackle climate change and other causes of pollinator decline
Priority III is designed to raise public awareness and mobilise society. It will:
Safeguard welcomes the Revision of the Pollinator Initiative and believes it will be key to boost monitoring and research on pollinators in the EU in the decade to come.
___________________________________________________________________________________