Field Work

Improve habitat connectivity in Denmark

Researchers from Aarhus University (AU) are currently working on the small island Møn, which also forms part of the EU Life Orchids Project, and where the immediately adjacent coastal cliffs were recently declared Unesco World Heritage site.

The project’s goal is to improve habitat connectivity of rare butterflies and orchids through conversion of arable land to pastures. Landowners, the national nature agency, the municipality, and researchers are involved in the restoration activities.

“With the new focus on Møn and Møns Klint as a Unesco World Heritage Site extra attention is given to the overall area and will allow us to further showcase how important it is to provide habitat for pollinators also in an agricultural setting. I hope our work will document this”

Claus Rasmussen

Researcher from Aarhus University

Fieldwork

There are five field campaigns during the year to adequately document the spring, summer, and late summer flying pollinators. April was an important time to sample, as some of the early spring bees disappear during May. Five relevant fields were selected within the larger area where the focus has been on habitat restoration and maintenance, as well as five comparable control fields without any intervention. The latter serve as a space-for-time baseline of how the pollinator fauna would have looked in the absence of interventions to support them. In addition, two control sites within the larger study area were chosen to represent the communities outside of the larger study area.

“Møn is a unique and exciting place to work where opportunity for exciting discoveries marks every exploration. I think investigating the effect of restoration interventions in this area has great potential for showcasing what can be achieved if we give some consideration to biodiversity within agricultural landscapes as well as documenting limits the interventions might have.”

Sean Birk Bek Craig

Researcher from Aarhus University

In the picture

*Andrena fulva* female went from a newly estalished bee in the 1970s and 1980s to becoming one of the common species of Andrena. They are ground nesting and can be found during spring in any of the sites from Møn.

*Bombus pascuorum* is the most common bumble bee across Denmark and of course also present on Møn. Here visiting an all time favorite, dandelion.

*Andrena gravida* male is along many other spring bees common in the whiteflowering hedgerows, which appears to be an abundant food ressource early in the season.

Sean B.B. Craig, Claus Rasmussen and Martin H. Thorsøe are all members of the Danish Restpoll team. Here doing fieldwork surveying pollinators.

Members of the Danish Restpoll team are doing fieldwork surveying pollinators.

While Denmark has lost several butterflies during the last century, a few species are still found on Møn as the last Danish resort. Here is a more common species found during the early field work, the colorful European peacock.

Within rows of crops can bare soil provide a sweet spot for sunbathing, as for this colorful European peacock within the control sites of agricultural fields.

Some of the species cannot be identified in flight, or from a distance, and requires they are studies a little closer. This cuckoo bee was caught and the identification was confirmed before being recorded and released.

To be continued

Researchers are imminently leaving for the July field survey, with another departure planned for August. During these surveys, they will sample pollinator and plant communities, following similar methods used by our partners in Catalonia and the Nestos Delta. Once all field campaigns are complete, the collected data will be compiled and analysed. The results will then be shared with landowners to highlight the biodiversity their lands support.

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