The success of strategic restoration for pollinator connectivity
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour
Abstract
Climate change threatens the sustainability of the pollination service, on which our food supply and all ecosystems depend. One way to tackle this challenge is to expand, improve and connect up wildflower-rich habitats. Several policies aim to achieve this, but there is still limited empirical evidence of the success of the new habitats and connections.
This project brings together a leading exemplar restoration project run by Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) with new data on pollinator dispersal, and expertise on spatial population modelling. The Buglife 'B-lines' constitute a prioritised network for insect pollinators threatened by habitat loss and climate change. New flower-rich habitats created in the last decade have been mapped across Britain, and further restoration is constantly being planned and prioritised for funding.
Objectives are to:
1. Test which insect pollinator species have colonised the habitat restored within the Buglife B-lines project.
2. Test the impact of functional connectivity to pre-existing habitat on pollinator colonisation success.
3. Forecast the long-term impact of restoration within B-lines, based on empirically validated models.
4. Develop a framework for planning similar 'ecological network' projects in future, making sure that the loss of pre-existing habitat can't be inappropriately offset by the plans for new habitat.
This year, the Environment Bill has set a revised agenda for nature conservation in England. This formalises 'biodiversity net gain' for developments and plans for a national 'nature recovery network'. Globally, the CBD will soon adopt a new set of biodiversity targets and the UN Decade of Restoration has just started. Therefore, studying the potential for restoration to deliver a connected and resilient network is particularly timely. We have a novel and unique opportunity to study the outcomes of a project which started a decade ago, with the improvement of connectivity as a central goal from the outset.
This project brings together a leading exemplar restoration project run by Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) with new data on pollinator dispersal, and expertise on spatial population modelling. The Buglife 'B-lines' constitute a prioritised network for insect pollinators threatened by habitat loss and climate change. New flower-rich habitats created in the last decade have been mapped across Britain, and further restoration is constantly being planned and prioritised for funding.
Objectives are to:
1. Test which insect pollinator species have colonised the habitat restored within the Buglife B-lines project.
2. Test the impact of functional connectivity to pre-existing habitat on pollinator colonisation success.
3. Forecast the long-term impact of restoration within B-lines, based on empirically validated models.
4. Develop a framework for planning similar 'ecological network' projects in future, making sure that the loss of pre-existing habitat can't be inappropriately offset by the plans for new habitat.
This year, the Environment Bill has set a revised agenda for nature conservation in England. This formalises 'biodiversity net gain' for developments and plans for a national 'nature recovery network'. Globally, the CBD will soon adopt a new set of biodiversity targets and the UN Decade of Restoration has just started. Therefore, studying the potential for restoration to deliver a connected and resilient network is particularly timely. We have a novel and unique opportunity to study the outcomes of a project which started a decade ago, with the improvement of connectivity as a central goal from the outset.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Jenny Hodgson (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Indiana Jones (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/S00713X/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2750804 | Studentship | NE/S00713X/1 | 01/10/2022 | 31/03/2026 | Indiana Jones |