"Pollinators are vital for our future on this planet." Iolo Williams

These are the steadfast words of support for pollinators from celebrated wildlife advocate Iolo Williams, who has signed EJF’s Call to Action to Save the Bees. The UK’s insect pollinators, which include bees, butterflies and hoverflies to name a few, have been declining over recent decades due to human imposed impacts such as habitat degradation and pesticide use. EJF’s Save the Bees campaign is working to raise awareness of the issues our busy friends are facing, and is leading political advocacy for pollinators with the Call to Action. Iolo’s powerful statement joins those of many members of the public, who are concerned by the state of national protection for pollinators and have signed the petition. The Call to Action urges the government to enforce policy which encourages bee-friendly farming practices, fund scientific research into bee declines and ensure stringency on national bee-harming neonicotinoid pesticide bans.

Without pollinators many food crops such as fruit grown in both the UK and across the world, would not exist. Pollinators such as bees have evolved so closely with the specific plants that they pollinate, that it has become impossible for other animal species (humans included) to pollinate them as effectively. This applies to not only crops but wild plants dependent on insects, including flowers, trees and bushes. Thus our food security, native biodiversity and future is indeed, as Iolo states, dependent on these irreplaceable pollinators.

Iolo is an active promoter of wildlife as a TV presenter and a former RSPB officer, and he recently highlighted the need for political action to better protect wildlife in a moving speech at the ‘State Of Nature Report ‘ launch earlier this year. He said, ‘They EJF’s Call to Action recognises this need for governmental action as part of the change. The ‘Save the Bees’ campaign also goes further to focus on actions that can be taken at the individual level to give bees and other insect pollinators a helping hand.

We need pollinators for the security of our food and biodiversity, both now and for future generations. Lobbyist action has already lead to policy change in aid of pollinators, as shown in the EU-wide bans on bee-harming neonicotinoid pestidices passed earlier this year, which EJF campaigned for. Such actions are repeatable.

"We'll chase the butterflies and you can run your hands through these flowers and maybe we'll catch a grasshopper." Iolo Williams

You can join Iolo Williams and others in EJF’s campaign to Save the Bees. There is also a swarm of other ways you can Take Action for pollinators with EJF. Every signature and action helps us to send a bigger message to the government and wider audiences about the need to fight pollinator species declines.