Working together for Biodiversity Tales from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 Implementation coordinated by the 1 Online edition: ISSN 2009-6852 Print edition: ISSN 2009-6844 www.pollinators.ie © Jane Powers FOREWORD Contents t’s no secret that we both love wild bees. We’re also old enough to have witnessed first-hand the slow disappearance of our biodiversity over our Introduction 3 I Farmland 4 own lifetimes. When we were growing up in the 1980s, bumblebees and other insects were much more plentiful Councils 8 than they are now. To younger generations, what we see Site networks 15 now is the new normal. If people don’t know what has Transport Corridors 17 been lost, how can we expect them to feel the need to Communities 22 change things? The onus is on us. Faith Communities 29 For a number of years, the data were telling us that pollinators Schools & Campuses 31 were in trouble, and research has been showing what we could do Hospitals 37 about it. There comes a time when you can’t stand by anymore. Businesses 38 When we drafted an initial plan of action in 2014, we had no idea Gardens 40 of what was to come. We brought together a 16-member Steering Sports Clubs 41 Group, representative of key stakeholders across the island, and together developed the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 Raising awareness & (AIPP). Five years later, the Steering Group have become friends Tracking change 42 and we thank them for their skill, drive, and endless enthusiasm in steering the initiative. The All-Ireland approach has been a huge positive, as it has allowed us to share experiences and ideas across jurisdictions and make much more progress than we could have individually. We’ve also been incredibly fortunate. Many times, people have crossed paths with the Plan at a time when we’ve needed them most – from the Steering Group members, to the project officers, to local champions, and for that we are very grateful. Despite minimal funding, the first AIPP has been a success. “we’ve since inspired and helped When we started, we didn’t know what to expect, but the enthusiasm and support we’ve seen across the island has been many other countries interested overwhelming. And we’ve since inspired and helped many other countries interested in replicating the success of the AIPP and in replicating the success of the developing their own national strategies. More recently, we’ve also AIPP and developing their own been taking stock and learning the many lessons of the last five years. The first Plan was only the start of the journey, and together national strategies.“ with the Steering Group, we have developed an even more ambitious version for 2021-2025. Implementation of the Plan is coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre which is a programme of the Heritage Council. Steering and overseeing a Plan is the easy bit. It’s the actions on the ground that make the difference. Often, helping biodiversity calls on us to manage land in a different way than we’re used to, sometimes in the face of local opposition. The people who have implemented changes across the country are the ones who deserve all the credit. This booklet showcases a small fraction of the thousands of people who have made this Plan a reality. We know what we need to do. Across the island the seeds of change are everywhere. We have to continue; but also have to do more, and we have to do it quickly. Pollinators are in a better situation than they were five years ago, but they are still in huge difficulties. If the last five years has taught us anything, it’s that together we can change their fate – Dr Úna FitzPatrick (National Biodiversity Data Centre) & Prof Jane Stout (Trinity College Dublin) All-Ireland Pollinator Plan founders President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins welcoming 2 Prof. Jane Stout (left) and Dr. Úna FitzPatrick to Arás an Uachtaráin to highlight the success of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan on World Bee Day 2019. not provide enough food for them to friendly; already 270 businesses have Introduction survive or enough safe places for them come on board and agreed to take to nest. A large focus of the Plan is to actions. We have made a hugely positive identify actions to improve the quality start. However, we are at the start of the ollinators are in decline, and amount of diverse and flower-rich journey and as we look forward to the with one-third of our 98 habitat. These range from creating next five years, we need to engage more, wild bee species threatened P pollinator highways along our transport monitor more, and manage more land for with extinction from the island of routes, to supporting pollinators on biodiversity. Thanks to all those who have Ireland. The problem is serious farmland, and encouraging the public to engaged, the island has become more and requires immediate attention see their gardens as potential pit-stops pollinator friendly. We need to continue to ensure the sustainability of our for bumblebees and other insects. The and to give the insects time to respond. food, avoid additional economic Plan is also about raising awareness of The AIPP will ultimately only be a success impact on the agricultural sector, pollinators and how to protect them. We if in 10, 20 and hundreds of years from and protect the health of the have tried to ensure that everyone – from now, this island is buzzing with healthy environment. farmers, to schools, local authorities, honeybees and we have diverse, healthy In publishing the All-Ireland Pollinator gardeners, and businesses – know what Plan in September 2015, Ireland became pollinators need and what simple, cost- one of the first countries in Europe to effective and evidence-based actions address this problem. At its core, it is they can take to help. These are all freely about providing food and shelter across available at www.pollinators.ie all types of land so that pollinators can The Plan is project-managed by survive and thrive. As a shared plan of Úna FitzPatrick within her wider role action, it is about coming together to Patchwork Leafcutter bee, as a Senior Ecologist in the National Megachile centuncularis © Steven Falk work strategically and cohesively over the Biodiversity Data Centre , which is a period 2015-2020, so that collectively and stable wild pollinator populations, programme of the Heritage Council. We we can take steps to reverse pollinator providing us with the services on which thank Bord Bía and the Heritage Council, losses and help restore populations to we are so dependent. In a win-win who saw the potential of the initiative and healthy levels. The Plan is supported scenario, if we achieve this, we also co-funded one project officer position by more than 100 governmental and create a colourful, diverse, and healthy from 2016-2019. non-governmental organisations and it environment for ourselves. We also thank SuperValu for funding identifies 81 actions to make the island We thank every single person who that position in 2020. Without Juanita more pollinator friendly. The steering has engaged with the Plan. It has shown Browne, who has worked as a project group provide oversight of the Plan, in every sector and in every corner of officer on the Plan since 2017, much of with implementation coordinated by the this island, people do care and that we what we have achieved would not have National Biodiversity Data Centre (2016- can come together to make changes for been possible. 2020). The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is the better. Lots of small actions, taken The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan does entirely voluntary. together, make a big difference. not have a project budget. However, This booklet, published to mark the end we sincerely thank the Department of The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2015-2020 of the first phase of the AIPP, celebrates Agriculture, Food and the Marine, who, has five objectives: those efforts and the positive changes from 2016-2020, have provided ¤15,000 1. Making Ireland pollinator-friendly already made. Undoubtedly, collating annually. This has been invaluable in (farmland, public land, private land) information for this has been the most allowing the design of resources and difficult part of the entire initiative so far! 2. Raising awareness of pollinators and outreach material. We also thank all how to protect them those partners who have independently There are hundreds of tales we funded activities to support the Plan. 3. Managed pollinators – supporting could have told and examples The last five years have seen the 81 beekeepers and growers actions in the 2015-2020 Plan delivered. we could have chosen. We have 4. Expanding our knowledge on Across all sectors, the number of highlighted a random selection to pollinators and pollination service individuals and organisations engaging show the diversity of actions and with the Plan and taking actions 5. Collecting evidence to track change range of sectors helping. To those continues to increase. We are working and measure success thousands of people, groups and with farmers to develop a framework organisations Within each objective, targets were by which all farms can become more set and actions identified to help achieve pollinator-friendly; 55% of all Councils who should also be in this booklet, that target. Responsibility for delivering across the island have formally partnered we can only say that we are very the 81 actions was shared out between with the Plan and agreed to take actions grateful to work together with all the supporting organisations.