Aims of the BEESPOKE project

by John Holland, BEESPOKE project coordinator Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, UK

The overall aim of BEESPOKE is to increase levels of pollinators and crop pollination at local and landscape scales by providing land managers and policy makers with the expertise, tools and financial knowledge to instigate bottom-up change creating more sustainable and resilient NSR ecosystems.

Crop pollination is rarely measured routinely so one of the first objectives has been to develop farmer friendly methods for measuring their own pollination and levels of pollinators. If pollination need improving, then it is important that the right types of pollinators are enhanced. To achieve this, we have been developing and testing bespoke seed mixes that address the needs of the specific crop. These were established on farms so that their impact on pollination and pollinators could be measured and as a focus point for knowledge exchange activities. This included training in the new methods for assessing levels of pollinators and pollination, and in habitat management. Guides and videos have been developed to support these activities.

Pollinators can be mobile moving across the landscapes between farms and therefore management at landscape scales is also needed. A landscape modelling approach was used to produce maps that predict levels of pollinators across existing NSR landscapes based upon the occurrence of different types of habitats and the likely levels of pollinators that they support. Correlations between the predicted levels of pollinators, actual levels as measured in crops and subsequent levels of pollination have been sought and incorporated into the model. Outputs from the first objective of the model was to identify the levels by which habitats can be improved for pollinators and then use the model to redesign farms/landscapes to increase levels of pollinators to match the demand for pollination. Outputs from the model will identify the amount of new habitat or extent of improvements to existing habitats needed to enhance pollination and pollinators.

Each member state has existing Agri-environment schemes funded through the CAP or nationally, however, these vary hugely, as does the uptake. Using a series of expert meetings, review, economic analyses, surveys and outputs from the demonstration studies we aim to provide recommendations on how to revise member states AEMs to improve opportunities and increase uptake of pollinator enhancing habitats To ensure continuous improvement and adapt activities within the project to make sure that we reach our objectives we have applied a formative approach to evaluation. The ultimate goal being to be able to identify what key measures instigated change among our target group as well as what bottle necks or hurdles still exist and/or hardest to overcome.

As an extension to the project we are also investigating whether environmentally friendly farming systems can benefit pollinators and whether further practices could be of value such as new flower-rich grassland seed mixes, novel crops and reductions in herbicide inputs to conserve arable plants. We also aimed to create a longer legacy from the project via a new online tool for selecting appropriate wildflower mixes for local conditions, developing long-term management plans for flower mixes and a new initiative to boost local wildflower seed production and create new potential income stream for farmers. Two new partners were also brought on board to provide additional demonstration platforms in Sweden and Norway.

To ensure findings and recommendations reach as wide an audience as possible there is a comprehensive communications package that uses traditional and modern media to achieve this besides on-farm knowledge exchange activities.

The aims of this magazine are to inspire more stakeholders to consider management of pollinators as a key farm activity. Such actions may not only benefit farm incomes for crops requiring pollination but also help conserve pollinators and other insects which so desperately need help. We will provide updates on our work so far and give voice to those that have already adopted such practices to learn from their experiences.