Ireland to play key part in new European pollinator project
A community-led local development company has today (Wednesday, June 18) been named as one of 14 European partners who will take part in a groundbreaking pollinator project.
Ballyhoura Development CLG is set to play a lead role in PolliConnect - a €7.1 million initiative focused on restoring wild pollinator populations across north-west Europe.
The project is co-funded by the Interreg North-West Europe programme and brings together organisations from six countries to deliver scalable, evidence-based solutions for pollinator recovery.
Padraig Casey, CEO of Ballyhoura Development CLG, said: ''Ballyhoura Development is excited to lead Ireland’s contribution to the PolliConnect project".
"This is an ambitious and vital initiative to restore pollinator populations across Europe. The collaboration reflects our deep commitment to biodiversity, sustainable habitat management, and empowering communities to take meaningful action for nature."
"Through innovation, education, and partnership, we look forward to helping shape a future where pollinators thrive and ecosystems are reconnected for generations to come", he added.
Ballyhoura Development is a community-led local development company, and a registered charity, which works with communities, families, individuals, and businesses in the Ballyhoura region of east Co. Limerick and north Co. Cork.
The company has successfully managed, coordinated and implemented a wide range of national and European projects and programmes since its establishment in 1989.
Over the next 54 months, PolliConnect will deploy a range of innovative solutions to restore pollinator habitats, aiming to:
- Increase pollinator biodiversity indicators by 20% in pilot zones;
- Engage and train community garden managers, farmers, and citizens in pollinator-friendly practices;
- Provide evidence-based data and guidelines to inform public policy and enable replication across Europe;
- Establish and test eight Living Labs in six countries to develop scalable restoration models;
- Pioneer cutting-edge tools, including artificial intelligence-powered wild bee monitoring cameras.
The official launch event will bring together the group in Pas-de-Calais today and tomorrow, marking the start of an ambitious journey to reconnect fragmented landscapes and empower local action for pollinators.
The PolliConnect group is composed of 14 partners from six countries including:
- The Flemish Land Agency (VLM), Brussels Environment, Ghent University, and the Province of West Flanders from Belgium;
- Ballyhoura Development CLG from Ireland;
- FiBL – Research Institute of Organic Agriculture from Switzerland;
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the Province of Fryslân, and the Municipality of Middelburg from The Netherlands.
