SAPOLL : A cross-border action plan for wild pollinators

Wild pollinators in the France-Wallonia-Vlaanderen cross-border zone represent a valuable but highly endangered resource. In order to protect these pollinators, it is essential to set up a cross-border organization that enables coordinated actions and synergies between regions. Indeed, isolated actions on both sides of the border are unlikely to lead to the sustainable management of this indispensable resource. The challenge is huge because wild pollinators, wild bees, syrphs and butterflies, are essential to maintaining agriculture and ecosystems in our regions. In order to meet this challenge, the SAPOLL project initiates the implementation of a cross-border action plan for wild pollinators with the actors from Wallonia, Flanders and northern France. This plan is the initiator of actions in favor of pollinators, bringing the necessary scientific, didactic and applied context to citizens, decision-makers, entrepreneurs or enrionmental managers. It is also adapted to the regional context of each area. The action plan, which is co-built with the partners in the cross-border territory. The SAPOLL project also organizes activities that aim to homogenize and share scientific knowledge, awareness-raising experience and naturalistic competences

Adaptation to a changing world: How wild bees cope with climate change

The current climate change affects living systems, especially by inducing shifts in species phenology (the time of the year at which a seasonal activity is performed). First fragmented available results strongly suggest that the phenology of wild bees (Hymenoptera : Apoidea) is changing. However, this is still poorly understood since few researches have focused on this phenomenon. According to the key role of wild bees in ecosystem service, the understanding of their phenology changes is thus a biological conservation priority. In this project, starting in January 2015, we will perform the first comprehensive study of the apoïds (i.e. wild bees) phenological shifts in Europe since the 19 th Century. Our main goal is to determine if the phenology shifts are triggered by the meteorological parameters and/or species life history traits by comparative statistical and modelling analyses. In this study, we will also investigate the interpopulational and intergenerational adaptations to climate change in a model species (Bombus terrestris) through comparative bioassays. These bioassays will focus on the effect of temperature on diapause termination in this species. It will bring more understanding on how this model species adapts to the changes in climate through adaptation and phenotypic plasticity. This research is innovative as it focuses on a topic of great ecological importance but still very scarcely studied. Thus, this work will be pioneering and it will bring to light results with significant applications in conservation ecology as well as for the study of ecosystem services and climate change

SAPOLL - A cross-border action plan for wild pollinators

Pollinators such as wild bees, hoverflies or butterflies represent a valuable resource in Europe but are greatly threatened. To protect these pollinators, that are not limited by the borders of the countries, it is necessary to develop adapted tools at large scales. The SAPOLL project rises to this challenge by initiating the creation of a cross-border action plan for pollinators in Belgium and in the north of France. This plan will encourage the development of concerted actions for pollinators conservation by spreading scientific, didactic and applied contexts to all the citizens and stakeholders. The SAPOLL project also organises additional actions that are essential for the creation and the success of the cross-border action plan. These actions will facilitate the sharing of skills and the homogenisation of knowledge between regions and will focus on three aspects: (i) Communication and awareness raising for the general public in order to inform the general public of the pollinator decline. (ii) Organisation and homogenisation of naturalist networks in the cross-border area through the animation of working groups and training courses. (iii) Global scientific monitoring of wild pollinators on the whole cross-border territory. The area of high importance for pollination service will be demarcated

SAPOLL - A cross border action plan for wild pollinators

Pollinators such as wild bees, hoverflies or butterflies represent a valuable resource in Europe but are greatly threatened. To protect these pollinators, that are not limited by the borders of the countries, it is necessary to develop adapted tools at large scales. The Interreg SAPOLL project rises to this challenge by initiating the creation of a cross-border action plan for pollinators in Belgium and in the north of France. This plan will encourage the development of concerted actions for pollinators conservation by spreading scientific, didactic and applied contexts to all the citizens and stakeholders

Grensoverschrijdend actieplan voor wilde bestuivers 2019-2020

Dit tienjarig (2019-2029) actieplan voor alle wilde bestuivers werd opgesteld samen met alle partijen in de regio in het kader van het Interreg-project SAPOLL (Samenwerken voor pollinators - Sauvons nog pollinisateurs). Wetenschappelijke kennis, een uitgebreide inventarisatie van bestaande initiatieven en een bevraging waren de basis voor de regionale experten.Sauvons nos pollinisateurs - Plan d'action transfrontalier pour les pollinisateurs sauvages - Région wallonn

Status and trends of wild pollinators in Belgium and north of France

Status and trends of wild pollinators in Belgium and North of France Morgane Folschweiller1, Floriane Jacquemin2, Maxime Drossart1, Marc Dufrêne2, Pierre Rasmont1 Folschweiller M. 1, Jacquemin F.2, Drossart M.1, Dufrêne M.2, Michez D. 1, Rasmont P.1 1Laboratoire de Zoologie, Université de Mons, Mons, Belgium 2UR Biodiversité et Payasage, Université de Liège - Gembloux AgroBioTech, Gembloux, Belgium Pollinators play a very important role in terrestrial ecosystems. Indeed, by contributing to the pollination of most of our wild and cultivated flowering plants, they provide an essential ecosystem service. The main goal of the SAPOLL project is to elaborate an action plan for the conservation of wild pollinators in Belgium and north of France. In order to do so, prior assessments are needed. Here we present our first review of wild pollinators situation at global and regional level. This report, made by regional experts, addresses the decline of wild pollinators, the associated factors and also the consequences of this decline

Belgian Red List of Bees

BELBEES 2013 Integrative analysis of BELgian wild BEE decline to adapt mitigation management policy - Sources fédérale