Press releases
UFZ press release, 21. March 2022
Survey of pollinators
The SPRING project is helping to establish an EU-wide monitoring system for pollinators
Insects have an important function for both ecosystems and the economy. Almost 90% of flowering wild plants worldwide depend at least partially on pollination by animals. More than 75% of all food crops also need pollinators if they are to produce high yield and good quality. But what about these important helpers? Where are their populations threatened? And what can be done about it? So far, there has been a lack of systematic inventories in Europe that can provide answers to these questions. A new EU-funded project called SPRING (Strengthening Pollinator Recovery through Indicators and monitoring) now aims to remedy the situation. An international research team of 19 partners coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) is working on an EU-wide census of pollinators.
