EU steps up actions to stop the decline of pollinators

On 1 June 2018 the European Commission adopted the first-ever EU initiative to address the decline of wild pollinating insects. Around one in ten bee and butterfly species is on the verge of extinction in the EU, and a third of them have a declining population trend. Regional and local declines have been also recorded for other pollinator taxa.

The initiative sets the framework for an integrated approach to the problem through improving knowledge and collaboration, and a more effective use of existing tools and policies. It is structured around three pillars:

• Improving knowledge of pollinator decline, its causes and consequences
• Tackling the causes of pollinator decline
• Raising awareness, engaging society-at-large and promoting collaboration

Knowledge-related measures will among others include the development of an EU monitoring framework for pollinators, strengthening research on the causes and consequences of their decline and establishing a dedicated knowledge hub. The initiative will develop and strengthen existing tools to address the main drivers of pollinator decline – in rural and urban areas – supported by strengthened stakeholder networks. It will also actively contribute to global action on pollinators, in particular through the Coalition of the Willing. With adopting this initiative, the EU has now fulfilled the condition to join the Coalition. It intends to do so at the CBD CoP 14.    

The full text of the initiative is available here.