With reports suggesting 60% of pollinators are in decline, a leading seed specialist has partnered up with the nationwide invertebrate charity, Buglife, in a quest to highlight the importance of invertebrates to the ecosystem.
Salisbury-based Bright Seeds claim the post-war period has seen the UK lose a staggering 97% of wildflower-rich grassland, the equivalent of around 3m hectares (ha); a situation that has prompted a move by the company to develop new wildflower meadows. Bright Seeds will be donating 10% of all sales made on its bumblebee wildflower mix to Buglife.
Bright Seeds managing director, Chris Bright, said: “We are very pleased to have teamed up with Buglife. It’s commitment to improving the environment through protecting invertebrates is an objective with which we very much identify.
“Europe as a whole is conscious of retaining its natural wildflower species and you can witness this by travelling through large areas of France.
“A drive to achieve a resurgence in wildflowers is gaining impetus, particularly as the environmental advantages are coming more to the fore. There is a greater understanding of the issues – and the benefits nectar-producing flowering plants provide for our soil, insects, mammals and birds,” said Mr Bright.
Paul Hetherington, director of fundraising and communications at Buglife, said: “One out of every three mouthfuls of our food depends on pollination taking place, it is almost impossible to over-emphasise the importance of the service pollinators perform for us. It is vital that we support these vital insects with a greater density of wildflower meadows and grassland.
“In Bright Seeds, we are able to work with an organisation that understands these central issues and shares our objectives. Its long involvement in British agriculture gives us an ideal partner with an in-depth knowledge of plants, soil and landscapes.
Brights supply a variety of seeds across the agricultural, rural and urban sectors. Bright Seeds source seed from all over the world and have many international contacts, over the years they have gained support from Natural England, RSPB and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
