Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has signed up as a partner organisation for the new 2021-2025 Pollinator Plan. Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, said:
“Having been a supporter of the previous 2015-2020 plan, I am delighted to announce Council is officially a partner organisation for the new 2021-2025 plan.
“Pollinators across the country are in decline and one third of our bee species are threatened with extinction. This is because the amount of food pollinators need – native flowers – and the amount of safe nesting sites in our landscape have decreased dramatically. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us - farmers, local authorities, schools, gardeners and businesses - coming together to promote landscapes where pollinators can survive and thrive.
“Pollinators are essential for the sustainability of our food production and the health of the environment, so the decline in species requires immediate attention. By working together through the Pollinator Plan we can collectively work to restore pollinator populations to healthy levels.
“In Mid and East Antrim we have already taken steps to improve our borough for pollinators. In 2020 Council agreed a Herbicide Reduction policy which will see herbicide use reducing 15% year on year.
“Our Parks and Open Spaces team have been steadily replacing traditional bedding with pollinator friendly alternatives, such as wildflower meadows, enriched grasslands and orchards, as well as running an extensive programme of educational biodiversity initiatives with schools and community, and promoting organic gardening and wildlife friendly gardening through Councils ‘in bloom’ campaign. I look forward to seeing more positive pollinator initiatives over the next five years as part of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.”
Juanita Browne, All-Ireland Pollinator Plan Project Officer, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Mid and East Antrim Council as a partner to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. The Council has already achieved so much in making the Borough more pollinator-friendly and their commitment to pesticide reduction; reduced mowing and pollinator-friendly planting initiatives will have big impacts for local biodiversity."
The 2021-2025 All-Ireland Pollinator Plan can be viewed here: www.pollinators.ie