Wild bees, butterflies, and other pollinators are essential to our ecosystems and food systems, yet their numbers are declining fast. Across Europe, the RestPoll project is working to reverse this trend by restoring the habitats pollinators need to survive. But here’s the twist: we’re doing it through Co-design, a method that brings farmers, scientists, local governments, and communities together to create and implement solutions.
Why Co-design?
Restoring nature isn’t just a technical challenge. It’s also a social one. What works in a German meadow may not fly (literally or figuratively) in a Spanish orchard. Co-design, which comes from co-operative design, means local actors -from policy makers to beekeepers- are involved in the planning and implementing restoration strategies. By including alternative perspectives, experiences and knowledge, this process can increase the uptake and willingness for participations, which leads to a higher efficiency and flexibility and ultimately to an improved restoration outcome. When people help shape the solutions, they are morel likely to support and maintain them.
For example in the Dutch living lab, a highly diverse stakeholder group gathers yearly to share experiences and knowledge. This is also the moment in which the results of the pollinator sampling are presented, which gives motivation to continue doing the good work, or to look for potential improvements if needed. The involvement of stakeholders responsible for the implementation of the bee-friendly management already during the design phase of the project, leads to ideas that fit existing land use practices well, increasing the likeliness of long-term involvement.
Testing what works
RestPoll is not just about ideas, but about testing them in the real world. In our network of Living Labs -real landscapes where ideas are tried- the project is testing the effectiveness of the process. Measures that were already co-designed in the network include:
- Seeding wildflowers in patches or strips
- Restoring grasslands
- Creating nesting sites for the pollinators
- Planting trees and shrubs
- Reducing pesticide use
However, each site is different. The landscapes vary, the pollinators vary, and so do the people. In some places, local authorities or drinking water companies are key players. In others, it’s policy makers or farmer advisors. These differences between restoration sites and stakeholders’ involvement may lead to different dynamics in the design process, with different levels of co-design as a result.
Will co-design deliver better results?
That’s what RestPoll is setting to find out. By comparing different restoration measures, the team hopes to learn how collaboration influences long-term success. Can co-design really increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures and lead to more resilient habitats?
One thing is clear: the future of pollinators depends not just on what we plant, but on how we work together to plant it.
