Expected results Work packages

The overall aim of STEP is to assess the current status and trends of pollinators in Europe, quantify the relative importance of various drivers and impacts of change, identify relevant mitigation strategies and policy instruments, and disseminate this to a wide range of stakeholders. This aim is underpinned by 7 specific objectives which reflect the overall work programme of STEP: 

1. Document the status and trends of pollinator (managed honeybees, wild bees and hoverflies) and animal-pollinated plant populations;
2. Determine and analyse the multiple pressures that are driving changes in pollinators and animal-pollinated plants at scales ranging from single fields to landscapes to the whole of Europe;
3. Assess the impact of changes in pollinator populations and communities on wild plants and crops and changes in floral resources on pollinators;
4. Evaluate and synthesize strategies to mitigate the impacts of changes in pollinators and animal-pollinated plants;
5. Assess how multiple drivers affect pollinators and animal-pollinated plants at local and landscapes scales using focused empirical tests and observations;
6. Analyse and improve the interface between the scientific knowledge-base on pollinator change assessment and policy instruments to reduce pollinator/pollination loss and mitigate its effects;
7. Develop communication and educational links with a wide range of stakeholders and the general public on the importance of recent shifts in pollinators, the main drivers and impacts of pollinator shifts and mitigation strategies through dissemination and training.