Pollinator community monitoring

Evaluating the ecological response of pollinator communities is essential to measure the effectiveness of the restoration actions implemented under NewLIFE4BioIslands. Led by CSIC, this task will provide long-term monitoring of pollinator populations across all project intervention areas, generating the scientific evidence needed to assess restoration outcomes and ecosystem recovery.

The monitoring programme will focus on key pollinator groups, including wild bees, hoverflies, and butterflies, while also recording other invertebrate groups that contribute to ecosystem functioning. Standardised European monitoring protocols will be applied to ensure that data are robust, comparable, and suitable for long-term ecological assessment.

The main actions include:

• Long-term pollinator monitoring: Annual surveys will assess changes in the diversity, abundance, and composition of pollinator communities across the restoration sites.
• Standardised monitoring protocols: Field surveys will follow recognised European methodologies to ensure consistency and comparability across all project regions.
• Collaborative data collection: CSIC will provide scientific leadership and technical supervision, while local partners will carry out regular field sampling and ecological data collection.
• Innovative monitoring technologies: Automated monitoring tools, including infrared camera systems, will complement field surveys by providing continuous information on pollinator activity and behaviour.

The results of this task will provide a robust scientific basis for evaluating the impact of restoration actions and measuring progress towards the project’s biodiversity and pollinator conservation objectives.