The B-Lines network co-ordinated by Buglife has won the prestigious European Landowners Association’s Bee Award. The Award recognises the work the B-Lines programme has been doing to encourage farmers and other land managers to make changes to their land management to provide habitats for insect pollinators.
B-Lines aims to create a network of wildflower-rich areas across the UK providing routes across the country for pollinators to use. The B-Lines network includes the best of the UK’s wildflower-rich habitats and identifies key areas for the restoration and creation of new wildflower-rich areas by landowners, local authorities and the general public.
Matt Shardlow CEO for Buglife who is accepting the Award in Brussels says. “The recognition of the B-Lines network through this European Award highlights the enthusiasm landowners have for conserving bees and other pollinators and we hope it will encourage authorities and conservationists to develop and implement the frameworks and financial support that will facilitate the restoration of our declining pollinators.”
B-Lines manager Paul Evans added; “we are really grateful to the large number of individuals and organisations who have already come forward to help develop the B-Lines network. This award is for everyone who has been involved”.
Pollinators are having real problems and we need a concerted and co-ordinated effort to stop their declines. B-Lines is a hugely ambitious programme, however we believe that if everyone farming, living or working within the B-Lines network can be encouraged to do even the smallest thing for pollinators then we can create something really important for wildlife. As pollinators are so key to our own food production we are really helping wildlife so that it can help us.
B-Lines are very much a partnership and organisations and individuals across the country have been getting involved. Buglife are always on the look out for new partners to join in and help deliver on this ambitious, award winning project.
The development of the B-Lines is in its infancy; however significant amounts of wildflower-rich habitats have already been restored and created by individual farmers and larger wildlife organisations. Buglife knows it cannot develop the B-Lines on its own so would like to thank everyone who is joining up to create the B-Lines.
