Ambitious new Pollinator Plan aims to create ‘pockets for nature every 200 metres’ across the island of Ireland
A new five-year plan brings together communities, farmers, businesses, and public bodies to create a more biodiversity-rich landscape.
Today, July 9th, the new All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 was launched at the National Botanic Gardens, Dublin, by Ireland’s Minister for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD, and Andrew Muir, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is a voluntary framework coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre and supported by a wide network of partner organisations across both jurisdictions.
Pollinators are essential to both healthy ecosystems and human health. They enable plant reproduction, support biodiversity, and underpin agricultural productivity and food security. However, our 100 species of wild bees are in decline, with one-third at risk of extinction. Actions not only help pollinators but also benefit our wider biodiversity, which benefits human health and wellbeing. Therefore, addressing pollinator decline is both an ecological necessity and a societal priority.
Welcoming the launch, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “I warmly welcome the launch of the third phase of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan out to 2030, supported through the Government’s Shared Island Fund, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and by the Northern Ireland Executive. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has proved an enormous success over the last decade in bringing together farmers, local communities, public bodies and businesses to help conserve and create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. I look forward to seeing the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan expand and continue this crucial work in protecting sustainable agriculture, food security, and benefitting the island’s unique and precious biodiversity.”
Speaking at the launch, Minister O’Sullivan, said: “Bees, hoverflies and other pollinating insects play a vital role in our food systems and in the health of the wider natural environment. That’s why the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is such an important initiative, because it makes it easy for everyone to get involved and take action to reverse their decline – no matter where they live, how young or old they are, or how much they know about pollinators. Through outreach, education and partnerships, the AIPP team have developed a network of allies across the island to help these amazing insects, including all 42 councils, over 120 organisations and more than 400 businesses. I’m proud that the funding from the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island initiative will support them to continue this work and to scale it up even further to help us deliver on the ambitious targets for pollinators in the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.”
The vision of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026–2030 is simple but ambitious: to create a landscape that provides food and shelter every 200 metres. This mission reflects the fact that our important solitary bees can only travel these short distances from their nest sites to find food. Achieving this vision will require coordinated action across all land types, supported by strong partnerships and public engagement.
In his launch address, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland, Andrew Muir said: “Bees, butterflies and our other pollinators are the unsung heroes of our environment, playing a fundamental role across our ecosystems. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan provides a clear, practical framework to support these busy bugs in enabling nature recovery. By working together, across all landscapes, it is possible to restore pollinator populations and create an island that is richer in biodiversity, more resilient to climate change, and better for people and nature alike. Adopting a more ambitious All-Ireland Pollinator Plan for 2026-2030 will help us play our part in meeting international biodiversity targets, and is key to the success of our Environmental Improvement Plan and forthcoming Nature Recovery Strategy. I am grateful to the Irish government and particularly the Department of the Taoiseach, for their partnership and cooperation in developing and supporting it through Shared Island funding.”
The 2026-2030 phase of the Pollinator Plan is supported through funding from the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Fund, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
Dr Sara McGuckin, Head of Natural Science, NIEA said: “Halting and reversing pollinator species decline is essential to securing healthy, resilient ecosystems and sustainable food systems. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency is delighted to continue our strong partnership through the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan to 2030. By strengthening our monitoring of pollinators, we can develop a better understanding of what our rare and threatened species need, and track recovery of pollinator populations across Ireland.”
According to Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon: “The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is delighted to fund two Farmland Pollinator Officers under the new Plan from 2026 to 2030, to further support farmers in taking action for pollinators. Agriculture and farmers are key in this wide-scale societal effort to reverse the decline of these important insects. We look forward to supporting the next ambitious phase of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan.”
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has become internationally renowned as best practice, and as successful model that has been copied by other European States in developing their own action plans to reverse pollinator declines. The Plan is built on robust scientific research, and all recommended actions are evidence-based.
“Since 2015, implementation of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan has been coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Thanks to action across all sectors during the first ten years of the Plan, pollinators are now in a much better position, but they still face major challenges. The 2026-2030 phase will be supported by a dedicated team of eight staff within the National Biodiversity Data Centre. Our monitoring schemes and expertise help to provide the scientific basis for evidence-based action and to identify where action will have the greatest impact for our threatened pollinators.” – Liam Lysaght, CEO, National Biodiversity Data Centre
The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030 includes 50 strategic aims and 75 success metrics, which will be reported annually to ensure accountability and transparency. Its 10 work packages cover key sectors such a Farmland, Public Land, Transport Networks, Communities, and Businesses. Together, these work packages aim to drive landscape-scale change, connecting individual actions into a coherent ecological shift towards an island where pollinators can survive and thrive.
In a time of climate and biodiversity anxiety, the Pollinator Plan empowers people to create positive change for our future, and provides all the knowledge and tools to allow anyone to take action for biodiversity. Its ethos is simple: ‘small actions, taken together, can create real change – helping to restore pollinators in order to build a healthier, more resilient environment for everyone.’
Find out more about the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan team at pollinators.ie
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Read the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030
