AQW 23910/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (i) what steps his Department is taking to increase the population of bees and other pollinators; and (ii) what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which any such plans will improve pollination.
Asked by John Blair MLA on 7 October 2021
- Answered
- Written
- Tabled
- 7 October 2021
- Answer due by
- 22 October 2021
- Answered
- 21 October 202114 days after tabling
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Northern Ireland Priority Species lists are currently under review, with the first tranche of updated species to include 11 new bee species. Priority species are selected as requiring conservation action because of their decline, rarity and importance in an all-Ireland and UK context.
The Department have been actively engaged with the development and implementation of actions in the 2021-2025 All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. The 186 actions focus on sustainably managing private, public and farm land for pollinators. Actions span across 4 themes: providing food, safety and shelter for pollinators and also improving our knowledge of populations through research.
Actions are being delivered through various means:
Working closely with grant funded partners, such as Butterfly Conservation and Buglife, to raise awareness of the plan, and develop pollinator actions into project work plans;
Engage with Local Biodiversity Officers to promote community based actions such as ‘Don’t Mow, Let it Grow’ initiatives;
Increase number of businesses, organisations and land owners, to sign up as official All-Ireland Pollinator Plan partners and supporters;
Work with businesses taking ‘Prosperity Agreements’ to include actions for pollinators;
Actively manage NIEA sites and country parks in a sustainable, pollinator-friendly manner;
Work alongside plant health teams and AFBI to reduce threats from invasive species, and pesticide use;
Deliver UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme in Northern Ireland to gather data in order to identify population trends, impacts and threats.
All-Ireland Pollinator Plan actions are scientific based, supported by research through the Irish Pollinator Research Network, which is committed to building the evidence base for pollinator conservation and management in Ireland. https://pollinators.ie/research/publications/