Conservation charity Buglife is calling on everyone – from balcony gardeners to landowners – to manage green spaces for pollinators, celebrate these pollinator-friendly spaces and add their habitat to the B-Lines map.
Buglife is encouraging everyone to play their part in celebrating pollinators and helping to connect pollinator-friendly habitats across the nation. In the face of growing threats to wildlife along the Tweed from habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change and chemicals, Buglife is calling on people to do their bit by creating pollinator-friendly habitats and adding these to the local B-Lines network. Every piece of land can help, no matter the size – from balcony herb garden or sprawling meadows.
“Our countryside’s beauty and health for both wildlife and people is under serious threat,” shares Buglife B-Lines Officer, Rachel Richards. “But every single person can make a difference. Whether you’re growing herbs on a balcony, managing a park or nature reserve, or stewarding species-rich meadows, your contribution matters.
“Today we are asking everyone within the Tweed Catchment who can, to help create pollinator friendly habitat and then add it to the B-Lines map on our website, no matter how big or small. We would like to be inspired by what you’re doing and for what you’re doing to further inspire others. So, whether you’ve already created pollinator friendly habitat or you are currently making your green space more inviting to our buzz-y friends, be sure to complete the process by adding all your hard work to the B-Lines map!”
Why it matters
Pollinators face mounting pressures from multiple sources, making connected, flower-rich habitats increasingly vital for their survival. By mapping these spaces, B-Lines aims to inspire others, demonstrate the collective impact of individual actions, and strategically identify where additional pollinator-friendly habitats are most needed.
In Scotland many pollinators are in decline. The Pollinators Along the Tweed (PAtT) partnership project, led by Buglife, is working to create and restore up to 40 hectares of pollinator habitat across 50 sites along the River Tweed B-Line as part of Destination Tweed, a source-to-sea river revitalisation project led by the Tweed Forum.
“To date, over 21 hectares of wildflower-rich habitat has been created or enhanced across 33 sites along the River Tweed B-Line through combinations of sowing native wildflower seed, planting wildflower plugs and pollinator friendly shrubs and changing site management practices,” explains Buglife Scotland, PAtT Conservation Officer, Kate O’Leary. “A large portion of this wouldn’t have been possible without our dedicated project volunteers, who have contributed over 400 hours of their time to help enhance the B-Line”.
Community groups along the Tweed have been working hard to improve the green spaces they manage for pollinators, including the Borders Forest Trust, Peebles Golf Course Biodiversity & Ecology Group, Tweedsmuir Community Council and Greener Melrose. Their passion and commitment is encouraging others to get involved in pollinator conservation too.
“A huge amount of work has already taken place, but there’s always room for more!” adds Kate. “New dots are appearing on the B-Lines map all the time, particularly in our towns and built-up areas but our pollinators still need your help. Have you done something in the last year to improve your green space for bees, butterflies and beetles? We want to know! Head on over to the Buglife website and add your work.”
Who can participate?
B-Lines brings communities together with a common purpose and goal, to improve green and wild spaces for nature. Restoring ‘insect pathways’ and creating wildflower-rich stepping stones across the nation can help bees, butterflies, beetles and other wildlife to move across the landscape. Who can get involved?
- Home gardeners adding pollinator-friendly plants, leaving areas to grow long and flower, or maintaining wildlife-friendly ponds;
- Community food growers working without herbicides and pesticides;
- Farmers stewarding species-rich hay meadows, restoring species-rich hedgerows or creating new flower-rich habitats to support biodiversity and Integrated Pest Management (IPM);
- Local authorities improving public green space management;
- Volunteers and conservation groups managing nature reserves.
All pollinator-friendly work, regardless of scale, can be added to the B-Lines map. Simply head to buglife.org.uk/our-work/b-lines, scroll down to the map and hit the green “Add Site” button in the top right hand corner to add your green space. The ambitious initiative aims to reach 4,000 mapped locations by the end of 2025, further adding to the visible network of spaces that support bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and other essential pollinators.
Main Image Credit: Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola) © Charlotte Rankin