Last year, the European Research Executive Agency (REA), Unit B.3 “Biodiversity, Circular Economy and Environment”, organised a workshop, focused on pollinators and their vital role in the European Union. The event, held on October 10, 2022, brought together representatives from key EU-funded projects to foster dialogue and address research and innovation needs in support of bee and pollinator health, sustainable pollination services, and pollinator monitoring.
Representatives of renowned EU-funded projects, including Safeguard, B-GOOD, PoshBee, Ecostack, SPRING, Orbit, Sting, Pulse, and SHOWCASE, as well as various EU Commission services, such as DG AGRI, DG ENV, DG SANTE, and REA, actively engaged in the workshop. All participants were divided into parallel groups to identify current knowledge, best practices, and tool availability related to four main questions:
- How can we integrate and optimise wild and managed pollinators into a sustainable service for agricultural systems? What can we do and what do we need to know?
- What proportion of wild pollinators, particularly bees, can utilise/survive in European agricultural landscapes?
- New and developing tools for monitoring pollinator health and drivers of bee health? What do we have and what is missing?
- What is not known about pollination services in agricultural and semi-natural/natural ecosystems? How do we find out?
These questions served as focal points for discussions during the workshop and laid the foundation for the outcomes presented in the EU report titled ‘Opportunities and knowledge gaps for EU Research and Innovation on pollinators’. The outcomes of the discussions, documented in the publication, serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders engaged in the preservation and promotion of pollinator health. The publication, co-authored by Safeguard’s coordinator Ingolff Steffan-Dewenter, highlights the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and the need to address knowledge gaps to effectively support pollinators and ensure sustainable pollination services in the European Union.
Read the full report here.
Photo: Cover of the EU report 'Opportunities and Knowledge Gaps for EU Research and Innovation on Pollinators’