Pollinator Projects in the UK
Pollinating insects are essential for biodiversity and food production, but recent years have seen a dramatic decrease in the number and diversity of pollinating insects across the UK.
We’ve been combatting this decline by delivering projects such as Polli:Nation, Polli:Nation for the Next Generation, and Natural Nations.
Take a look at our projects to find out more about our work.
Our Pollinator Projects
Polli:Nation
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by Learning through Landscapes, in partnership with OPAL (Open Air Laboratories), Butterfly Conservation, Buglife, Field Studies Council, the University of Stirling, and TCV, Polli:Nation helped children discover which pollinating insects they already have in their school grounds and transform their grounds into pollinator-friendly habitats. Delivery took place in over 250 schools across the UK.
XPolli:Nation
Funded by National Geographic and EPSRC, XPolli:Nation was formed in collaboration with partners such as The Open University and OPAL. The project worked with schools across the UK and Italy to inspire action for pollinators through the cross-pollination of ideas. Building on surveying techniques used in Polli:Nation, pupils collected data about international pollinators and used technology to learn lessons about habitat creation.
Natural Nations
Funded by Erasmus+ and led by Learning through Landscapes in partnership with Naturskolan i Lund, Lunds Universitet, Birdlife Malta, and Sociedad Espanola de Ornitologia SEO (Birdlife Spain), Natural Nations builds on the success of Polli:Nation to develop survey methods for bird populations as well as pollinator insects and to encourage them into school grounds.
Pollination for the Next Generation (Polli:Gen)
Funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and in partnership with  Leicester City Council and The Wildlife Gardening Forum, Polli:Gen was delivered by specialist Project Officers in 24 schools across Leicester. Children learnt about their natural heritage and utilised resources developed during Polli:Nation to learn about pollinating insects, surveying techniques, and habitat creation.
Natural Nations Goes Digital
Funded by Erasmus+ and led by Learning through Landscapes, in partnership with Birdlife Malta, Sociedad Espanola de Ornitologia SEO (Birdlife Spain), Millbrook Primary School, Hellenic Ornithological Society, and Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves, Natural Nations Goes Digital builds on the work done by Natural Nations. The project developed digital resources for teachers and children about how to identify birds, and how to make school grounds into accessible habitats for birds and pollinators.
The SENSE project
Funded by EPSRC and in collaboration with The Open University, the University of Edinburgh, and Imperial College London, the SENSE project will develop haptic technology to allow children to experience sensory elements of nature through smartphones. This will help encourage greater interest in the natural world among children who have the least access to it.