A NEW plan has been launched by a local group to help ‘save Cumbria’s pollinators'.

'Cumbria’s Plan Bee, A Pollinator Action Plan' has been published by Cumbria Local Nature Partnership (CLNP), a collection of community, nature and farming groups, in partnership with the former Cumbria County Council and Natural England, and organised and led by Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

The plan urges everyone in the county – communities, the new local authorities and other councils, farmers, landowners and businesses – to sign a pledge and take action to help Cumbria’s pollinating insects.

Wild bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths play a vital role in our food production and are a key part of our natural world.

However, many species are in trouble due to habitat loss, pesticide exposure, disease and climate change.

Since 1950, it’s estimated that the UK has lost 150,000 miles of hedgerow, 98 per cent of flower-rich grassland and 50 per cent of ancient woodland.

Cumbria’s Plan Bee has identified no fewer than 66 priority actions to help our pollinating insects.

These range from small acts (like building a 'bee hotel' in your garden) to larger-scale measures, such as councils making the most of opportunities in new and existing developments to make them pollinator-friendly, and farmers considering agroforestry with small scale tree-planting, in addition to conventionally managed land.

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Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust said: “The statistics for species loss paint a frightening picture, especially following the topsy-turvy weather patterns of the last 12 months, but our Plan Bee sets out how together, we can start to reverse this trend.

“We’ve already seen, over many years, how working in partnership helps our wild pollinators, for instance: restoring habitat on the west coast of Cumbria by Butterfly Conservation, Workington Nature Partnership and our Get Cumbria Buzzing project has created much-needed new wildlife corridors between the colonies of small blue butterflies, boosting their recovery.

“Cumbria’s Plan Bee provides a fantastic opportunity for all of us to pledge to take action – however small – to reverse the decline of insects and to get every available piece of land working for pollinators.

"The plan helps us to take action for wildlife in the places that are closest and most important to us, and that’s not only important for nature's recovery - it's good for all of us and for the health, wellbeing and enjoyment of our local communities.”