GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Proposed activities should:

• Improve the knowledge on the biology, ecology and population dynamics of insects spending part of their life cycle on or in the soil, with specific focus on ground-nesting pollinators, as well as on the interactions between life below and above ground. Focus should be put on lesser-known species, regions and major threats and causes of their decline. The potential buffer and protective role of soil against threats in different soil and land uses, including applied agricultural practices, such as ploughing (e.g., agricultural, forestry, urban and natural areas) should be explored.
• Contribute to the development of monitoring methods including on threats and pressures that can be of relevance for the pollinator monitoring framework, under the revised EU Pollinators Initiative : “A New deal for Pollinators”.
• Identify soil conditions associated with a high diversity of pollinators and map regions of particular importance for the protection of soil-dependent pollinators.
• Analyse the effects of different soil management practices, including different plant protection and/or soil management methods, across different farming systems, such as organic farming or conventional approaches, and compare intensively managed areas with protected areas.
• Develop and demonstrate soil remediation and mitigation practices to address the causes of insect (and in particular pollinator) decline.
• Provide recommendations for best soil management practices to integrate pollinator conservation and restoration across the wider landscape and enhance habitat connectivity and pollination services.