When sponsoring pollinator-biodiversity related initiatives within your local community ensure your business sponsorship is eliciting an All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP) evidence-based action and include the following:

• Always retain existing biodiversity areas e.g., Avoid removing a meadow to plant native trees.
• Ensure ongoing pollinator-friendly management of habitats is considered.

Consider the following 8 steps as part of your decision-making process:

Step 1: Review the ‘Recommended sponsorship activities’ table Page 24 of Businesses: actions to help pollinators.

Sponsorship by smaller SMEs and microenterprises could take the form of allowing employees to participate for one day a year in a community pollinator activity e.g., bulb or tree planting. 

Step 2: Review the Procurement table (Products/plants and services) Page 29 of Businesses: actions to help pollinators.

Step 3: Find out what is already happening in your local area through the local Biodiversity Officer.

Step 4: Recommend the AIPP specific evidence-based actions for the community group you choose:

• Local Communities
• Sports Clubs – engage directly with a local GAA Club who follow the Green Clubs Tool kit (Biodiversity). N.B. The AIPP and the National Biodiversity Data Centre worked with the GAA on the Biodiversity section.
• Golf Courses, Faith Communities, Schools. Also check out Biodiversity in Schools (Pollinator Project).

Step 5: Invite the community group to follow the AIPP recommended: Top-Ten-pollinator-plants-Guide-WEB.pdf (pollinators.ie) and Pollinator-Planting-Code-Guide-2022-WEB.pdf (pollinators.ie).

• Or suggest ‘thematic’ places for pollinators car parks, herb, moon (Page 9), sensory garden. Read more here: Communities » All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (pollinators.ie).

Step 6: Invite the community group to make contact with their local Tidy Towns Committee and participate as part of a wider ecological corridor, in the Local Authority ‘Pollinator Award’ judged by AIPP.

Step 7: As KPIs encourage the community group to map their actions on – Actions for Pollinators (biodiversityireland.ie) and to do Friday FIT Counts (Flower Insect Timed Counts) to see if their actions are working.

Step 8: Consider the sponsorship as an annual initiative in which your business participates to create momentum over time.

 

National sponsorship or funding national pollinator research

If your business is considering national sponsorship check out Page 25 of Businesses: actions to help pollinators. If thinking about funding pollinator research review Action 33 on Page 29 Businesses: actions to help pollinators.

Why we don’t recommend wildflower seed mixes » All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (pollinators.ie)

Remember sowing wildflower seed mixes as an ornamental meadow/strip using e.g., seed ball type products/packets or bulk purchases, is not a pollinator-biodiversity action. Non-native mixes may contain Black Grass potentially devastating for our agricultural land. Native mixes may have a high percentage of annuals and may need re-sown the following year.

Instead, encourage reduced mowing AND lift the cuttings to support ~1400 species of invertebrates Page 6 comparison table How-to-guide: Creating and restoring meadows

Choose an alternative action to honeybee hives

Managing honeybee hives is not a biodiversity action. The honeybee is a managed pollinator and not under threat on the island. To have a hive is a wonderful hobby, but, increasing numbers may create competition for food.

A pollinator-focus to Marketing & PR in your business

If you are considering sponsorship within your community as an ongoing annual event as part of the move towards nature-positive in your business, do consider aligning with the AIPP Abridged Comms Plan (published annually in January) and follow us on socials X:@PollinatorPlan and Insta: @allirelandpollinatorplan. Consider key pollinator dates such as: World Bee Day (20 May), Biodiversity Week (May) etc.