Flower strips alone are not enough:
Guidelines for more and better insect promotion at landscape level
- Recommendations for agriculture and forestry, municipalities and companies
- Comprehensive catalog with tips for implementing biodiversity-promoting measures
- Publication presents results of the EU LIFE project “Insect-friendly regions”; final conference on May 20, 2025 in Frankfurt
Radolfzell, 08.05.2025; Around 80 percent of wild plants and 75 percent of the most important crops depend on pollination by insects. Insects ensure 35 percent of the global yield in food production. In Germany, the economic benefit of pollination is estimated at around 3.8 billion euros per year. At the same time, various studies show an alarming decline in the biomass of flying insects. Among other things, this is due to intensive agriculture, substance inputs and land consumption.
Interaction between different land users important for promoting insects
Insect and biodiversity protection is urgently needed and can be achieved in many different ways. “More than just flower strips!” – the title of the newly published “Guidelines for more and better insect promotion at landscape level” says it all: with an extensive catalog of measures, it shows that there are many more ways to preserve and promote insects and biodiversity beyond flower strips. The publication also makes it clear that effective biodiversity and insect conservation requires the commitment of several stakeholders: In contrast to current activities that are often only implemented on individual farms, coordinated interaction between the various land users is required, ideally between agriculture, local authorities and companies.
Assistance for insect promotion at landscape level
The 60-page publication is supplemented by a 46-page catalog of measures. Together, they offer practical guidance on how to achieve more and better insect support at landscape level. The guide highlights the role of agriculture and the food industry, forestry, municipalities and companies and presents instruments for insect-friendly management and their respective benefits for each of these land use groups. Funding opportunities, educational and advisory services and ways to promote acceptance through public relations work and networking are also outlined. Each chapter is rounded off with good examples from practice.
“Whether agriculture and forestry, municipalities or companies – there is potential for more biodiversity everywhere. The key is to make use of it. The new guide offers practical information, concrete measures and important contacts that directly help to successfully implement insect promotion,” says Bianca Meßmer, project manager at the Lake Constance Foundation, who coordinated the publication as part of the “Insect-promoting regions” project.
Experiences from the “Insect-promoting regions” project
Most of the measures presented have been tested in the EU LIFE project “Insect-Friendly Regions” (IFR). In order to achieve the sustainable protection of insects and biodiversity across large contiguous areas, various land users worked together in the almost five-year project. In seven insect-promoting regions (Allgäu, Lake Constance, Bliesgau, Hohenlohe, Northern Upper Rhine, Wendland and Vinschgau/South Tyrol), measures were implemented by more than 60 demonstration farms.
The aim was not only to disseminate established and proven measures to promote pollinating insects in agriculture, but also to test and strengthen the ecological effectiveness and practicability of more extensive cultivation practices. The experiences have been incorporated into the catalog of measures. The bundled collection ranges from “field margins” to “wide rows”, divided into measures for arable farming, grassland, fruit growing and viticulture as well as measures in gardens. One focus is on agriculture. An overview of biodiversity-promoting structures rounds off the catalog.
For each measure, not only implementation and maintenance are described, but also the benefits for biodiversity, other positive effects – such as soil improvement, erosion protection or water retention – as well as additional recommendations, e.g. to avoid negative side effects. The measures are tailored to the Central European region, but can be adapted for implementation in other regions. Many of the measures can be financed by EU programs as well as national or regional programs. By combining different measures, a coherent network of structures can be created to promote biodiversity – an insect-promoting region.
“Measures to promote biodiversity will become even more important in the future, as they often also offer advantages in terms of climate protection and adaptation to climate change – in agriculture, forestry and also in municipalities. Ultimately, they also create a better habitat for us humans,” says Patrick Trötschler, Managing Director of the Lake Constance Foundation and editor of the publication as coordinator of the “Insect-promoting regions” project. He encourages the implementation of concrete measures. After all, everyone can actively contribute to the preservation of the cultural landscape and ecosystem services and promote the local flora and fauna.
Free download of the publication in German and English
The guide is available for download on the website of the “Insect-promoting regions” project.
Guide in German: https://insect-responsible.org/leitfaden
Guidelines in English: Guidelines Insect-promoting Sourcing Regions – LIFE – Insect-promoting regions
Conference “More than just Flower Strips” on May20 in Frankfurt am Main
Under the title “More than just Flower Strips – European Conference for more Insect Protection and Biodiversity at Landscape Level”, the final conference of the “Insect-Promoting Regions” project will take place in Frankfurt am Main on May 20, 2025. The main topics will be: landscape approach, biodiversity in land management, flowering communities, citizen science and monitoring as well as policy and incentives.
The conference brings together thought leaders, practitioners and decision-makers from all over Europe to discuss solutions for more biodiversity at landscape level. Participation is free of charge. Registrations are still possible. The event will mainly be held in English, with some sessions in German.
Registration and further information on the program https://insect-responsible.org/en/events/conference/
The project and the conference are co-financed by the EU, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt DBU, Rentenbank, Nestlé Deutschland and Deutsche Postcode Lotterie.
The EU LIFE project “Insect-promoting regions”
Funded by the EU, the “LIFE Insect-Promoting Regions” project brings together different partners for a common goal: the sustainable protection of insects and biodiversity by and with different land users across larger contiguous areas. Regional biodiversity action plans were drawn up in seven insect-promoting regions.
Insect protection measures were tested on demonstration farms in each region. At the same time, farmers, advisors and food companies were trained and consumers were made aware of the issue. Other farmers were motivated to develop and implement an action plan to promote insects. The project also plays a role in creating attractive incentives for farmers as well as (financial) rewards for their commitment from public programs and the food industry. The approaches developed in this project are transferable to other regions. A corresponding guide will be published at the conference and will also be available to download from the website https://insect-responsible.org/.
The seven insect-promoting regions: Allgäu, Bliesgau, Hohenlohe, Northern Upper Rhine, Wendland and Vinschgau in South Tyrol.
Project partners: Bodensee-Stiftung (coordination), Bäuerliche Erzeugergemeinschaft Schwäbisch Hall, Global Nature Fund, Nestlé Germany, Netzwerk Blühende Landschaft.
About the Lake Constance Foundation
The Lake Constance Foundation is a private environmental and nature conservation organization based in Radolfzell on Lake Constance. The foundation works on a project-oriented basis for greater sustainability and nature conservation in the international Lake Constance region and beyond. It works in the four fields of action of energy transition, agriculture & food, nature & water protection and business & biodiversity with different focal points. https://www.bodensee-stiftung.org
About the Global Nature Fund
The Global Nature Fund is a non-profit foundation based in Radolfzell. Since its foundation in 1998, the GNF has been committed to the protection of nature and the environment worldwide. The focus is on projects for the conservation of biodiversity – especially lake protection -, the promotion of sustainable development and the improvement and sustainable orientation of the living conditions of people in the project regions. https://www.globalnature.org