Four and a Half Years of Advancing Protection for European Wild Pollinators: Safeguard Project Concludes

Over the course of the Horizon 2020 Safeguard project, researchers, NGOs, social scientists, industry partners, policymakers and other experts from 25 institutions joined forces to expand the understanding of the decline of wild pollinators and explore measures to tackle the issue.

Following an interdisciplinary approach, Safeguard delivered a comprehensive reassessment of the status and trends of European wild pollinators, shed light on the pressures they face, and worked on developing an integrated assessment framework (IAF) to guide evidence-based management and policy at national, European and global levels.

To ensure the lasting legacy of project results, the Safeguard Knowledge Exchange Hub (Safe-Hub) was launched, providing resources and tools on pollinator conservation for decision-makers, conservationists, farmers, and citizens.

In the span of four and a half years, Safeguard established an extensive database, filling data gaps and providing a knowledge base for future actions. Focusing on long-term and large-scale impact, the project produced a number of policy materials with recommendations for pollinator-friendly practices.

To wrap up the project officially, this week, the Safeguard consortium met for one last time in Brussels, showcasing findings and insights to researchers, decisionmakers and practitioners, focusing on: 1) Status and trends of European pollinators, and future directions in monitoring, 2) Main drivers for pollinator decline, emerging pressures, and land-management solutions, 3) Integrated landscape and urban interventions for pollinator protection and 4) Future perspectives and knowledge needs.

While Safeguard is officially coming to an end in February 2026, the exploitation of its results – and their lasting impact – is only just beginning. 

A heartfelt thank you to all partners, contributors, field researchers, and supporters who made Safeguard possible.

Access the Safeguard’s open-access collection in the Research Ideas and Outcomes journal to explore all project publications.

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This project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101003476.

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the EU nor the EC can be held responsible for them.