Citizen research with the mission to preserve and develop pollinator habitats

Beekeepers' knowledge is important in the work of evaluating the landscape

Citizen research uses local knowledge and experience. At the various locations, beekeepers, farmers, landowners and the general public interested in nature are involved. The goal is to develop measures and activities that ensure there is both food and shelter throughout the season.

Through inventory and evaluation, you can get a picture of the situation for pollinators in a specific area. The Flora & Fauna project wants to strengthen the beekeeping sector by researching how we can develop sustainable landscapes, i.e. the availability of pollen and nectar throughout the season. This is an important prerequisite for good bee health.

Here we are developing a toolbox that beekeepers can use to evaluate and inventory the landscape. By helping to collect pollen, we have the opportunity to compare data from the pollen collection with the flora inventory.

In addition to creating good conditions as a basis for a dialogue about what supporting measures can be taken for honeybees' food supply throughout the season, the inventory can also provide a picture of the situation for other pollinators in the same area.

The initiator of Flora & Fauna citizen research, Lotta Fabricius Kristiansen, has extensive experience as a beekeeper and runs beekeeping in Tjällmo, Östergötland together with her husband Preben. For seven years, she has been working at SLU, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, where the Flora & Fauna initiative is part of her doctoral project.

Local involvement in four locations in the country:

SMÅLAND
Gränna Beekeepers Association

ÖSTERGÖTLAND
Linköping Nature Center
Vreta Kluster
Hushållningssällskapet

VÄRMLAND
Kristinehamnsorten Beekeepers Association

MEDELPAD
Sundsvall Beekeepers Association

The Flora & Fauna podcast follows local groups and captures developments

Introduction film to Flora & Fauna citizen research