Developing European conservation and mitigation tools for pollination services: approaches of the STEP (Status and Trends of European Pollinators) project

Pollinating insects form a key component of European biodiversity, and provide a vital ecosystem service to crops and wild plants. There is growing evidence of declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators, and parallel declines in plants relying upon them. The STEP project (Status and Trends of European Pollinators, 2010-2015, www.stepproject.net) is documenting critical elements in the nature and extent of these declines, examining key functional traits associated with pollination deficits, and developing a Red List for some European pollinator groups. Together these activities are laying the groundwork for future pollinator monitoring programmes. STEP is also assessing the relative importance of potential drivers of pollinator declines, including climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, agrochemicals, pathogens, alien species, light pollution, and their interactions. We are measuring the ecological and economic impacts of declining pollinator services and floral resources, including effects on wild plant populations, crop production and human nutrition. STEP is reviewing existing and potential mitigation options, and providing novel tests of their effectiveness across Europe. Our work is building upon existing and newly developed datasets and models, complemented by spatially-replicated campaigns of field research to fill gaps in current knowledge. Findings are being integrated into a policy-relevant framework to create evidence-based decision support tools. STEP is establishing communication links to a wide range of stakeholders across Europe and beyond, including policy makers, beekeepers, farmers, academics and the general public. Taken together, the STEP research programme aims to improve our understanding of the nature, causes, consequences and potential mitigation of declines in pollination services at local, national, continental and global scales

Wolf–Human coexistence in the Alps: the LIFE WolfAlps EU project

During the last 30 years, a natural return of wolves has been recorded at local, national and international levels over several mountain ranges in the Alps and, more recently, in both hilly areas and plains in Europe. Accepting the natural return of wolves in human-dominated landscapes is a major challenge, especially in places where memories and experience of coexistence have been lost. After the success of the LIFE WolfAlps project, which ended in May 2018, the European Commission has approved and co-financed LIFE WolfAlps EU (2019-2024), a new project to support wolf-human coexistence at European and pan-Alpine scales. As the expansion of the wolf population knows no administrative boundaries, the presence of the species requires actions effective at local level to improve its coexistence with humans on an international scale. The new, international project works to support local communities in the prevention of wolf attacks, and decision makers in the adoption of the best possible solutions to improve management of wolves, thus improving public acceptance of their expanding distribution and populations, notwithstanding the potential risks. Concrete actions are being implemented to involve all stakeholders interested in and affected by the wolf\u27s presence, in order to make human-wolf coexistence possible across borders, traditions and beliefs