Buglife, the invertebrate conservation charity, has recently published new guidance for local authorities on producing a ‘Local Pollinator Action Plan’. Pollinators are essential components of a healthy environment and play a vital role in food production. This guidance aims to encourage Local Authorities to develop a local action plan to ensure the needs of pollinators are taken care of both now and into the future.

The new guidance has been produced as part of the Buglife B-Lines project. B-Lines is a landscape scale initiative to reverse pollinator declines in the National Pollinator Strategy's Implementation Plan, by aiding invertebrate movement across a fragmented landscape. Where relevant, planning applications in or around B-Lines should consider what they can contribute to the growing resources of pollinators in B-Lines. Essex Wildlife Trust worked with Buglife and other organisations to develop B-Lines in the East of England, and this data is shared with our partner organisations, for more details click here.

The Buglife Local Pollinator Action Plan can be accessed via Buglife's website here. The Buglife B-Lines Hub has more information about the benefits of managing land for pollinators, including factsheets on managing Woodland, Farmland, Urban areas and Transport Corridors to benefit pollinators.