ROOTS X The Pollinators
It’s Treevember again! A wonderful initiative by The Pollinators, who are using this month to raise awareness about planting trees and shrubs and creating food forests. Together with local initiatives and volunteers, they are working to create biodiverse landscapes and new habitats for insects, birds, and other wildlife.
The decline in insect populations is alarming. Over the past 25 years, the biomass of flying insects has decreased by more than 75%. Our bees are also in serious trouble: 55% of Dutch bee species are threatened or have already disappeared, with 46 species now completely extinct in the Netherlands. This represents an enormous loss of biodiversity and poses a direct threat to the natural ecosystems on which our food supply also depends.
As much as 41% of the Netherlands consists of grassland. Food forests offer a valuable alternative to large-scale monocultures. In these diverse ecosystems, trees, shrubs, and plants grow alongside and in harmony with one another. They support healthy soil ecosystems, retain water, and provide food and shelter for a wide variety of species. At the same time, they produce food for both people and wildlife.
So, while nature prepares for its winter rest, now is the perfect time for us to look ahead and invest in a healthy environment.
🌱♻️🐝
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Sources: Naturalis – Status Report on Dutch Biodiversity and National Pollinator Monitoring Programme (2025–2030): a nationwide monitoring programme by EIS and Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
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