Pollinator Stewardship: A Strategic Asset for Successful National Restoration Plans

Language Note: this article was originally written in English. Automated translations may contain inaccuracies. For precise information, please refer to the English text. We appreciate your patience.

As Member States move from planning to implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), attention is increasingly focused on a practical question: how can restoration investments deliver the greatest possible ecological, social and economic return?

At this crucial stage, the White Paper Towards Pollinator Stewardship in All Policies: Policy Incoherence in the EU is a Major Barrier to Pollinator Restoration offers a timely and valuable contribution. Developed by more than 135 researchers from eight Horizon Europe projects - Butterfly, VALOR, PollinERA, WildPosh, AGRI4POL, ProPollSoil, RestPoll and Safeguard - it brings together some of the most recent scientific evidence on pollinator decline, ecosystem resilience and policy integration. Its significance lies not only in its findings, but also in the breadth of expertise behind it, spanning multiple disciplines and research initiatives dedicated to pollinator conservation and ecosystem restoration.

The White Paper focuses on pollinator stewardship, including the Nature Restoration Regulation itself; its recommendations offer useful insights for Member States seeking to implement the Regulation in a coherent, effective and cost-efficient way.

A central message emerging from the White Paper is that pollinator recovery cannot be achieved through conservation measures alone. It requires coordinated action across the many policies that shape Europe's landscapes, food systems and rural economies.

Looking beyond restoration projects

Much of the discussion around restoration understandably focuses on habitats: restoring wetlands, improving grasslands, reconnecting landscapes, enhancing urban green spaces and protecting biodiversity-rich areas.

The White Paper invites policymakers to take a wider view. The success of pollinator recovery depends not only on what happens within protected areas or restoration sites, but also on how these wider policies interact. The authors call for a pollinator stewardship approach: a framework that encourages decision-makers to consider the implications of their policies for pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide.

For institutions working on NRPs, this concept is particularly relevant. Restoration targets may be set within environmental legislation, but many of the factors influencing success lie beyond the traditional boundaries of conservation policy.

Why pollinators matter

Pollinators play a fundamental role in supporting ecosystem functioning, food production and ecological resilience. They contribute to the reproduction of wild plants, support agricultural production and help maintain the ecological processes upon which healthy landscapes depend.

This is why the authors describe pollinators as a critical natural resource for Europe.

Viewed through the lens of the NRR, this has important implications. If pollinators help sustain many of the ecological functions that restoration aims to recover, then actions that support pollinator populations may also strengthen the long-term effectiveness of restoration investments.

For policymakers, this raises an important question: can restoration investments reach their full potential if pollinator recovery is not considered as part of the broader strategy? 

The challenge of policy coherence

The NRR sets ambitious ecological objectives, but achieving them will depend on how effectively different sectors work together. Agricultural policies, land-use planning, water management, biodiversity measures and climate adaptation strategies all influence the conditions needed for restoration to succeed.

When these policies reinforce one another, restoration becomes easier, faster and more resilient. When they pull in different directions, public investments risk delivering less than their full potential.

Pollinator decline is driven by multiple pressures, and NRPs provide a unique opportunity to address this challenge, not by creating new obligations, but by improving coordination among existing ones.

A value proposition for governments

The White Paper presents pollinator stewardship as an issue that extends well beyond biodiversity conservation, linking it to food security, climate resilience, public health and economic sustainability.  There are strong connections between pollinator recovery and wider societal priorities already high on political agendas across Europe. These include:

• resilient food systems;

• climate adaptation and resilience;

• cleaner environments;

• stronger rural economies;

• healthier landscapes;

• long-term economic sustainability.

For governments facing increasing demands on limited public resources, approaches that generate benefits across multiple policy objectives deserve particular attention.

• A restored wetland can generate greater benefits when surrounding land uses support pollinator populations.

• Urban greening initiatives can become more effective when pollinator-friendly planting is integrated into planning decisions.

• Agricultural measures can become more resilient when they strengthen the ecological processes that support productivity.

The result is a positive cycle in which environmental, social and economic benefits reinforce one another. In this sense, pollinator stewardship should not be seen as an additional policy objective, but as a way of increasing the effectiveness of existing restoration efforts.

Across Europe, National Nature Restoration Plans are moving from design to implementation. Authorities are increasingly required not only to define restoration objectives but also to demonstrate how those objectives will be achieved in practice.

The White Paper offers a scientific framework that helps decision-makers understand the wider conditions that influence restoration success.

• For public authorities, it provides evidence that can support more coherent policymaking.

• For environmental organisations and beekeeping associations, it offers a robust scientific basis for engaging constructively with institutions responsible for implementing restoration measures.

At a time when governments are expected to deliver environmental results, strengthen resilience and respond to citizens' expectations simultaneously, this contribution deserves attention.

Further reading and support

BeeLife can support public authorities, environmental organisations and beekeeping associations in interpreting the White Paper and translating its scientific evidence into practical recommendations for National Restoration Plans. 

By facilitating dialogue between science, civil society and public authorities, we help translate scientific knowledge into practical action for pollinators, ecosystems and communities.

Read the full White Paper Towards Pollinator Stewardship in All Policies: Policy Incoherence in the EU is a Major Barrier to Pollinator Restoration and contact BeeLife to discuss how its findings can support your National Restoration Plan.