Scottish Wildlife Trust pollen project gets council funding

The Ayrshire Nectar Network is focused on creating and connecting nectar and pollen-rich habitats across the region, with wildflower meadows and trees being planted to establish pollinator 'highways'.

Funding was donated through the Scottish Government’s nature restoration fund, which helps local authorities fund projects that help tackle the current nature emergency.

Lynne Bates, Scottish Wildlife Trust nectar network co-ordinator, said: “The network is trying to connect lots of habitats across North and South Ayrshire for pollinators. It is about creating wildflower meadows like the ones at Irvine Beach Park, planting trees and hedges – anything that will benefit pollinators.

“We now have around ten volunteers who go out every month and monitor the meadows in North and South Ayrshire, as well as amenity grassland, and compare the two.”

By creating a corridor of flowers the network can prevent bees from going hungry. (Image: North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership) The Nectar Network is part of the wider North Ayrshire Nature Network project, that aims to tackle the climate and nature emergency by locally regenerating the natural environment, empowering communities to play their part and improving habitat quality for wildlife.

Pollinator numbers around the world are severely declining, however, the project is linking up land to create a corridor of flowers for bees, butterflies, moths, bats and birds to benefit from. 

By doing this, it will ensure pollinators don’t go hungry and, in turn, help provide the food we eat and the flowers we see, while also boosting biodiversity.

Organisations like community councils, private businesses including golf courses, farmers and community groups are involved in the project.

Neal Lochrie, the council’s biodiversity officer, said: “One factor linked to the drop in bee numbers is increasing habitat loss from land being used for intensive crops and housing developments rather than wildflowers, and woodlands.

“Monitoring is also taking place at the meadows, with support from volunteers, to evaluate the impact the meadows are having on pollinators by counting the numbers of pollinators and their species.”

One way the network has been helping pollinators is through the use of green hay, a technique that sees meadows being cut once a year rather than monthly.

North Ayrshire pioneered the approach where green hay is then spread on other sites to create new meadows from its seed.

To find out more about the Ayrshire Nectar Network, how to volunteer or commit to managing a piece of land, visit: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/our-projects/ayrshire-nectar-network/.