There are significantly fewer bees, bumblebees and other pollinators than before. What historical and contemporary factors have led to this situation?

This is one of the issues the BUTTERFLY research project will examine in more detail.

The researchers involved in the project will develop knowledge and insights and propose policies and measures that create positive ripple effects for pollinators. This will also yield positive outcomes for humans, as pollinators provide access to food, textiles, medicine and other resources.

Pollinators are primarily insects. They include bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths and flies. But other species like bats can also pollinate.

They are small creatures and deliver large tasks. The services they provide are essential. Pollinators help plants, fruit trees, berry bushes and other food crops bear fruit, reproduce and spread.

In recent years, many pollinating species have declined. Populations have become smaller, and many more species are threatened with extinction. In some areas, their habitat is disappearing due to developments, the use of harmful pesticides or changes to the landscape and climate.

"In the BUTTERFLY project, we will among other things look at landscapes that used to have a variety of pollinators. We'll see if we can develop or recreate these areas," says May-Brith Ohman Nielsen.

She is a professor of history at the University of Agder (UiA).

BUTTERFLY is led by the University of Bergen (UiB). UiB works with 24 partners from 13 countries. Among them is UiA and Ohman Nielsen.

Through its Horizon Europe programme, The EU has allocated NOK 90 million to the project, with around NOK 5 million going to UiA.

BUTTERFLY is a collaboration between several disciplines, bringing together biologists, social scientists, historians and philosophers of science. Lawyers, economists, psychologists, education researchers and other fields are also involved.

Ohman Nielsen will lead one of the eight working groups. The researchers in this group will look at the interaction between humans, society and insects over an extended time frame, studying the past, present and future.

The work also involves raising awareness and introducing systems that can promote good management of pollinators at all levels – in businesses and industries, local communities and through national and international legislation.

"Different understandings and mindsets lead to different practices. These can be beneficial or harmful for nature and society and therefore for humans as well," says Ohman Nielsen.

Ohman Nielsen will also participate in the group working with living laboratories. She will lead the labs in Norway.

One living lab is located in two allotment gardens: Kongsgård allotment gardens in Kristiansand and Rodeløkka allotment gardens in Oslo.

The other laboratory is on Landøy in Lindesnes, where the local population will restore coastal heathland. This is a threatened but species-rich habitat important for pollinators.

Allotment gardens are sites with high plant biodiversity within urban areas.

"We'll look into the situation for pollinators and how gardeners understand and interact with them. We'll also explore how their management of the garden impacts the diversity of pollinators," says Ohman Nielsen.

There will be a total of six such living labs in the project, located across various parts of Europe, providing researchers with a good basis for comparing what makes pollinators viable and robust.

Restoring coastal heathland

The BUTTERFLY project also has its spectacular elements:

Ohman Nielsen has already received six chainsaws for the project. They are used to remove invasive species such as Sitka spruce, mountain pine and juniper from what were once coastal heathlands.

The professor and local volunteers on Landøy in Lindesnes will attend a course on heath burning.

In the spring, the Lindesnes fire brigade will set fire to the juniper bushes that have overgrown parts of the traditional coastal heathlands on Landøy.

"The goal is to find effective and realistic methods to recreate the heathland landscape, which in turn will create sustainable habitats for bumblebees, bees, butterflies and other pollinators," says Ohman Nielsen.

Changes in nature and climate have historically been driven by human actions. There are therefore complex reasons why many pollinating insects are in sharp and critical decline. This underscores the need for historical expertise on environmental issues.

"The planting of Sitka spruce and mountain pine along the Agder coast from 1955 onwards, combined with the end of outfield grazing, is an example of historical actions that have negatively impacted the habitats of pollinating insects," says Ohman Nielsen.

The Sitka spruce was imported from North America. It has grown extensively along the coast, leading to many valuable and species-rich heathlands being overgrown. Some areas will be cleared and restored as part of the BUTTERFLY project.

"We need chainsaws and clearing saws to remove Sitka, mountain pine and juniper," the historian says.

Juniper is not an alien species along the coast, but it has become invasive and a huge problem, growing rapidly and spreading without limits once burning and grazing stopped.

Humans shape the course of history

"Part of the project involves finding ways to support and put into action the local population's role as positive environmental factors and social and historical actors. History and development aren't things that just happen to us, but something we're part of and can actively influence," says the professor.

Many locals on Landøy in Lindesnes are already involved in clearing the heaths. They use both their own chainsaws and those provided by the project.

For the project, lightweight, elegant, electric and quiet chainsaws were chosen. With the quieter chainsaws, participants can have informed conversations about nature experiences, history or philosophy of science while working.

"The goal is to get as many people as possible to learn to use the equipment and realise that they can actually remove an invasive species themselves – and that it's really fun. They don't have to wait around for someone else to do it for them," says Ohman Nielsen.

She hopes more people will get inspired by the project. The researcher is open to people reaching out if they want to try being a historical actor.

Coastal heathland is red-listed in Europe, meaning it is considered a threatened habitat type. At the same time, it is overgrown in many places along the Agder coast.

"The aim of BUTTERFLY is to go broad across multiple disciplines to find out how we can put in place measures to reverse the decline of important pollinators. What can we do about the problems, and what makes the most impact at various levels?" asks Ohman Nielsen.

Facts:

• The full name of the BUTTERFLY project is Mainstreaming pollinator stewardship in view of cascading ecological, societal and economic impacts of pollinator decline
• BUTTERFLY is funded under the EU call HORIZON-CL6-2024-BIODIV-01-3: Dependence of society and the economy on pollinators
• The budget is € 7 million, with € 904,000 going to UiB
• BUTTERFLY is coordinated by the University of Bergen and has 24 partners from 13 European countries and three areas outside Europe: Norway, Germany, France, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Greenland, Curaçao and Martinique
• The project will establish six Living Labs in Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, Norway and Italy
• BUTTERFLY starts on 1 March 2025 and lasts for four years