Scotland’s communities are stepping up to protect vital pollinators by turning public spaces into thriving havens for bees, hoverflies, and other insects.
A new report by NatureScot highlights how parks, hospital grounds, and community gardens are being transformed to support biodiversity and bolster pollinator populations.
The Pollinator Strategy Progress Report, now in its seventh year, showcases the determined efforts of individuals, local authorities, environmental groups, and researchers to create pollinator-friendly environments.
Pollinators are essential for biodiversity and play a crucial role in agriculture and food production, yet their numbers are under threat due to habitat loss, pesticides, diseases, and climate change.
Despite these challenges, community groups across Scotland are planting wildflower meadows, orchards, and native hedgerows while adding pollinator-friendly borders and beds.
Yorkhill Green Spaces in Glasgow manages three wildflower meadows in local parks, tracking biodiversity improvements and maintaining a species list while also creating bee banks to support solitary bees.
The Fife Golf Trust has used funding from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund to enhance seven golf courses, covering 544 hectares, with species-rich grassland and native hedgerows to connect and enrich habitats.
Near Luncarty in Perthshire, the Denmarkfield Rewilding project has converted former barley fields into a biodiversity hotspot, with orchards and hedgerows encouraging the return of wildflowers and bumblebee species.
Ninewells Community Garden in Dundee has worked with RePollinate to create a wildflower garden in the Ninewells Oncology Courtyard, earning them an RHS Community Award for Gardening for Health and Wellbeing.
St Machar Cathedral in Aberdeen has introduced a Community Biodiversity Project, using a mix of wildflowers, herbs, and shrubs to enhance forage opportunities for pollinators in the historic grounds.
Jim Jeffrey, NatureScot’s Pollinator Strategy Manager, praised the grassroots efforts taking place across Scotland, highlighting how these initiatives are transforming local spaces into thriving habitats for bees, moths, and hoverflies.
He encouraged more people to get involved in monitoring pollinators, noting that the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme is a key tool in gathering crucial data to understand and protect these essential species.
Volunteers can contribute through the Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT-Count), which helps provide valuable insights into pollinator activity, with further details available on the NatureScot website.
Scotland’s communities are proving that collective action can make a real difference in safeguarding pollinators, ensuring these vital species continue to thrive for generations to come.
