This policy brief presents key policy messages for decision-makers, grounded in and supported by the results of the Safeguard project. It highlights how Safeguard’s European pollinator database, updated Red Lists, research syntheses, trait and distribution data, and training resources provide the scientific evidence, tools, and capacity needed to implement the EU Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (EU-PoMS) effectively and help achieve the EU’s goal of halting pollinator decline by 2030.

This policy brief presents key scientific findings from Safeguard and explores how they can be applied in urban planning and decision-making to both conserve wild insect pollinators and enhance health and well-being in cities. Developed by IEEP, it is intended for policy- and decision-makers in towns and cities, local-level public authorities, professionals and consulting stakeholders, planners and project developers responsible for the design, implementation and management of green spaces in public areas.

This policy brief outlines the main scientific findings on pollinator conservation from within and outside Safeguard, along with key policy recommendations and best management practices for protected areas and Natura2000 sites. The IEEP-produced policy brief provides concrete guidance points for specific audiences, including 1) Natura 2000 & nature restoration planning, 2) Common Agricultural Policy support and 3) Protected area management.

This brief provides an overview of how the EU pollinator agenda – a set of initiatives and policies at the EU policy level to tackle pollinator decline – came to be, and summarises indirect drivers of such decline, linked to the diverse (and diverging) perspectives on pollinators in both policy and practice. While highlighting the important role of current policies and increased knowledge, the brief conveys a message of urgency, calling for necessary action in governance, policy and practice to support a positive change for pollinators.

This guidance aims to bring tools and knowledge for cities to use pollinators as indicators of their urban greening and carry out pollinator monitoring. It builds on the EU Commission guidance for pollinator-friendly cities, and explores options for pollinator monitoring in more depth. This guidance provides a gateway for cities to access resources on the topic, provides background on the different monitoring options available, and gives good practice examples from successful monitoring schemes in the EU. 

Safeguard released its first policy brief in occassion of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15). It provides policymakers with concrete research-based recommendations on the consideration of pollinators. Created under the leadership of project partner University of Reading (UREAD) with the valuable support of external Safeguard advisory board members, the policy brief provides a short introduction to a study the UREAD partners did to map the importance of pollinators to the SDGs and vice versa.