The goal is to significantly increase the area of habitats favorable to pollinators through the concrete contribution of key stakeholders, who play a fundamental role in the development and implementation of pollinator conservation strategies. LIFE PolliNetwork also aims to contribute to the implementation of the European Pollinator Initiative by tangibly increasing the knowledge, awareness, and responsibility of key actors regarding the presence and conservation status of pollinators in Italy.
Overview
Italy is home to one of the richest pollinator communities in Europe. In addition to their irreplaceable role in natural ecosystems, bees, butterflies, and hoverflies ensure the pollination of the crops on which our food supply depends.
Without pollinators, terrestrial ecosystems, human health, and food security are at risk; three out of four agricultural crops would disappear from our plates. Created to reverse this trend, LIFE PolliNetwork is the most ambitious Italian project for the conservation of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies as the main groups of pollinators. It is co-funded by the European Union under the LIFE Nature & Biodiversity program, with financial support from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and the Fondazione CARIPLO.
The project aims to contribute to the implementation of the European pollinator initiative by improving our understanding of pollinator’s decline, its causes and consequences; enhancing the conservation status of the three main groups of pollinators; addressing the primary causes of their decline; mobilizing society; and promoting strategic planning and cooperation at all levels. The concept behind LIFE PolliNetwork is as simple as it is effective: to create a network consisting of ecological areas and corridors. The latter designed to transform the infrastructure that pin and cross Italian – roads, railways, and power stations- into corridors known as “Buzz Lines”; where pollinators can feed, reproduce, and move safely between areas. In addition to the road margins and railways, the project will involve areas used for power stations, WWF protected oasis’ and farms, creating a true national network of favourable habitats. 88 hectares will be restored by 2030 across 26 areas in 10 Italian regions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Trentino, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, Sicily).
PolliNetwork will contribute directly to the drafting of the National Action Plan for the Protection of Pollinating Insects, as outlined in the National Biodiversity Strategy 2030, and to the National Habitat Restoration Plan, as required by EU Regulation 1991/2024 on Nature Restoration. Specifically, the results of the LIFE project will be useful for the implementation of Articles 10 and 11 of the Regulation, specifically dedicated to pollinating insects and the restoration of agroecosystems, and will also constitute one of the first applications of the European standard methodology for monitoring pollinators (EU-PoMS).
Strategic partners such as Anas and Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI), both companies of the FS Group, Terna, WWF Italia and Copagri, will take action within their respective areas of expertise. Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna (UNIBO), University of Turin (UNITO), and University of Pisa (UNIPI), along with research centres, will lead the scientific monitoring to assess the effects on the three groups of pollinators. ISPRA will produce technical documents for the drafting of the National Action Plan for Pollinators and criteria for identifying strategic areas for their conservation. TeamDev Ecosystem is tasked with designing and implementing a digital DSS system to provide the technological support that will guide operators in planning nature restoration interventions.
Regions connected through LIFE PolliNetwork
Objectives
The project’s objectives will be achieved through: the testing and dissemination of a new intervention approach based on digital technology (DSS) that supports the design of habitat restoration actions favorable to pollinators; the development, testing, and use of the best seed mixtures for pollinators; the implementation of new and diverse habitat restoration and management practices near linear infrastructures; the improvement of management practices in selected natural and semi-natural areas, with the overall result of increasing the number and diversity of pollinator species.
The specific objectives are:
- To initiate and develop a strategic process for improving wild pollinator habitats along major linear infrastructure (roads, railways, and power lines) and electric power plants throughout the country;
- Initiate and develop a strategic process for significantly improving habitat quality to provide food, shelter, nesting sites and wintering grounds within farms and protected natural areas;
- Improve the technical capacity of operators and facilitate improvements in the quality and management of pollinator habitats;
- Accelerate and facilitate the development of an effective national action plan with a real positive impact on the conditions of pollinators in all regions of the country;
- Promote active citizen participation in the monitoring and conservation of pollinating insects (citizen science), and create a national network among the numerous institutional, scientific, and economic stakeholders involved.
Project Partners
The consortium consists of 11 partners coordinated by WWF Italy
 | Coordinatore di Progetto WWF Italia |
Research and Monitoring
 | Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna |
 | Università degli Studi di Torino |
 | Università di Pisa |
 | ISPRA (Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale) |
Infrastructure Managers
Agricultural World
Technology
 | TeamDev Ecosystem (sviluppo strumenti digitali per il monitoraggio) |
Project News
Read all the LIFE PolliNetwork project news and updates (only in Italian)
Events
LIFE PolliNetwork Blooms During Primavera delle Oasi!To celebrate Primavera delle Oasi, WWF invites you to discover the world of bees, butterflies, and hoverflies in person!
Pollinators, at the heart of the LIFE PolliNetwork project, are brought to life through educational trails and activities. WWF’s Oases, in fact, help raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and the threats they face.
Their conservation is a strategic priority within the WWF Oasis system: these Oases, distributed throughout Italy and characterized by high naturalness or sustainably managed agricultural contexts, play a key role in maintaining habitats suitable for pollinating insects and contribute to promoting the best practices supported by the LIFE PolliNetwork project.
Find the nearest event related to the project
Project Informations
- Full Name: Nature Restoration and Management for Pollinator Conservation in Italy
- Project Acronym: LIFE24-NAT-IT-LIFE PolliNetwork
- Start Date: 09/01/2025
- End Date: 08/31/2030
- Duration: 60 months
- Areas of Intervention: 32 sites across 10 Italian regions, including 26 pilot sites and 6 sites for seed mix experimentation
- Restored Habitats: 88 hectares (44 in protected areas, 17 in infrastructure areas, 27 on farms)
- Citizens involved: 100,000
- Education: 5,000 teachers and students
- Objective: 10 – 30% increase in the abundance of monitored pollinators
Funding: EU LIFE Programme, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, and Fondazione Cariplo
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LIFE PolliNetwork is a project funded by the Nature and Biodiversity sub-program of the European Union’s LIFE 2021–2027 Program for the Environment and Climate Action.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
For more information on PolliNetwork in English, click here
Contacts
To get in touch with us, please email us at: life_pollinetwork@wwf.it
