More information
Description
Pollination is essential to maintaining life, while bees and other pollinating insects are in decline. Although the global and European policy frameworks are encouraging pollinators conservation, authorities in Romania do not act to stop the decline. It is necessary to mobilize a critical mass of citizens, especially young people, to actively support measures to improve public policies. The scope will be achieved within a WWF-NINA partnership, through 3 objectives: establishing and promoting a dialogue among stakeholders and strengthening the capacity of the NGOs, by creating an informal alliance for the conservation of pollinators; informing and debating with the relevant authorities on the necessity of elaborating an action plan for the conservation of pollinators and on financing measures through the future Common Agricultural Policy for the benefit of pollinators, and implementing an integrated citizen awareness and education program on the importance of pollinators conservation, and on processes improving public policy and the need to actively support the project’s cause. NINA will coordinate the research activity that will lay the basis of the most important activities of the project, facilitating transfer of good practices regarding the elaboration of integrated plans for the conservation of pollinators, being actively involved in the achievement of the first two objectives. Bees play an important role in the Romanian culture and economy, thus being relevant also from a political point of view. The communication of the relevance of the project activities will be made in relation to the target group in the project – authorities. NGOs, the general public, beekeepers, researchers, farmers will be educated and mobilized both for an important environmental cause, as well as for supporting and forming a more active civil society, more involved in watchdog and advocacy processes, thus creating the premises for their subsequent involvement in other cases.
Summary of project results
The mobilization of a critical mass of citizens, especially young people, was necessary to actively support integrated conservation measures for Romanian authorities to act and stop pollinators'' decline according to global and European public policies framework.
Following an awareness and involvement event for 10 media representatives, an online and offline campaign was run with almost 14,000 signatures and 5,000 messages of support and suggestions for a national action plan for pollinators. The message reached over 1 million Romanians. Through the mobile application, people can continue to stay informed and contribute to pollinators conservation. By setting up the National Initiative Group for pollinators and agroecology (functional through an online platform and physical meetings) there was proven the existence of significant knowledge at the level of civil society and the need to continue formal cooperation with authorities. The proposal for a national action plan, the results of the comparative study on habitat quality, the database with the priority species, and data visualization with the results from the Norvegian partener, NINA study were discussed in the meetings and at the round tables with the authorities from different fields. The difference was made by the involvement of a non-sectoral institution such as the Department of Sustainable Development within the Government with the role of integrator and facilitator.
The involvement of high-level student associations in the elaboration of a Manifesto, proved the importance and necessity of taking into account the voice of young people in decision-making. The promoter WWF Romania, as a member both in the Advisory Committee and in the working groups for the PNS, will support the adoption/improvement of the measures identified in the action plan proposal, and during the interim review period of the program (2025) will support the adoption of the measure of financing for farmers in support of pollinator conservation, developed within the project.