Project SPRING establishes a basis for a European plan to monitor pollination 

Why we write about this topic:

This study raises awareness about the urgency of a methodological implementation in Europe to track insects and pollination, which are vital for food production. 

The University of Coimbra, in partnership with the international plan SPRING, defined the basis to reinforce a methodological approach to monitor insects and pollination in Europe. After one year of sample collection in Portugal, the project now has enough data to support a methodological plan to help protect the insects, which are essential for the food industry in the continent. 

As revealed in a press release, the SPRING (Strengthening Pollinator Recovery through INdicators and monitorinG) project aims to expand the taxonomy capacity of insects’ pollination in the European Union. Consequently, the initiative aspires to support monitoring pollination in the EU. 

From foe to friend: harmful insects can become pollinators

An international team of researchers including Florian Etl and Jürg Schönenberger from the University of Vienna, Stefan Dötterl and Mario Schubert from the University of Salzburg, and Oliver Reiser and Christian Kaiser from the University of Regensburg, have for the first time succeeded in providing evidence for an important hypothesis on the evolution and diversity of animal pollination.

For instance, scientists are monitoring the insects’ behavior in five different countries on the continent and one island, including six locations only in Portugal. After collecting data, the experts are now prepared to launch a universal sampling method on local and international scales, which includes innovative discoveries of pollinating species.

Even though these are the first steps to a future monitoring plan, the partnership between SPRING and the University of Coimbra showed a union of distinct methodological perspectives and support for young researchers in the area. The fieldwork will restart in March 2023, providing further evidence to protect insect pollination and food production in Europe.