LIFE PolliNetWork

Life PolliNetWork is an Italian project for the conservation of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies—the main pollinators—co-financed by the European Union and supported financially by the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the CARIPLO Foundation.

The project aims to contribute to the implementation of the European Pollinators Initiative by improving knowledge on their decline, its causes and consequences, enhancing the conservation status of the three main groups of pollinators, engaging society, and promoting strategic planning and cooperation at all levels.

The project seeks to create a network of areas and ecological corridors. The latter are designed to transform infrastructure scattered across and crossing Italy—roads, railways, and power stations—into corridors called “Buzz Lines,” where pollinators can feed, reproduce, and safely move between areas. In addition to roadside and railway margins, the project will involve power station areas, WWF protected reserves, and farms, creating a true national network of favorable habitats. A total of 88 hectares will be restored by 2030 across 11 Italian regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, Sardinia, and Sicily).

Coordinated by WWF Italy and running until 2030, the project includes the experimentation and adoption of new management methods for different areas, as well as habitat restoration using a mix of native seeds specifically selected to attract pollinators. These seeds will be tested and then made available on a large scale.

Scientific monitoring will be carried out using permanent transects to measure increases in species numbers and population growth even beyond the project’s duration. The goal for this activity is a 10% to 30% increase in the number of monitored pollinator species over the 60 months of the project. Additionally, intensive training will be offered through workshops for technicians and managers of infrastructure areas, protected area operators, and farmers. Citizens will be engaged in Citizen Science monitoring events, and educational activities will be carried out for 5,000 teachers and students, along with a contest for agricultural technical schools.