A national project to create a network of wildflower-rich areas is making a huge splash in the East of England, thanks to the generous support of Anglian Water. A network for the East of England has just been identified, a huge step in helping to stop the decline of pollinators in the region.
Paul Evans, Buglife B-Lines Manager, said “This is a really exciting time for our B-Lines initiative. The East of England now has a great platform to encourage the return of wildflowers across the landscape. The new B-Lines work means we are working to create networks of flowers from the Humber down to the Thames Estuary and from the Norfolk Broads across to the edge of the Cotswolds. 97% of the England’s wildflower-rich grasslands have been lost since the 1930s, with a devastating effect on our wildlife. Over the next few years we’ll be working with conservation partners, farmers and local communities to create and restore wildflower-rich grasslands and other pollinator habitats in the B-Lines and help our insect pollinators to move across the countryside.”
The East of England network was designed in partnership with a wealth of expert organisations and with the support of other conservation partners and Anglian Water, to ensure the best remaining wildflower-rich habitats are connected. Buglife is encouraging everyone, including local authorities, farms, schools, businesses and the public, to help create the B-Lines to make their local environment a better place to live for both people and wildlife. The recent B-Lines network adds to the routes created in partnership with Natural England in 2015, giving a complete B-Lines map for the entire region.
Kylie Jones, Anglian Water’s Biodiversity Surveyor, said “The completion of the B-Lines mapping for the East of England, where Anglian Water operates, is a fantastic step towards collaborative conservation approaches for pollinators, and other wildlife, at a landscape scale. For Anglian Water specifically, the map will help us identify where we target our resources to deliver the commitments and actions outlined in the Anglian Water Biodiversity Strategy. We are really pleased with the outcome of the B-Lines mapping project for this region and would like to thank all of the partners who contributed to their creation”.
Help Buglife to create the B-Lines by adding your own wildflower work to our interactive B-Lines map. Whether you are an individual or organisation, a community or school group, any bit of wildflower-rich habitat created or restored can help us to make a better landscape for pollinators.
