"What do we currently know about the impacts of pesticide and fertiliser use in farmland on the effectiveness of adjacent pollinator conservation measures such as flower strips and hedgerows and what additional research would be needed?"

This call for experts from Eklipse: Knowledge and Learning Mechanism on Biodiversity is currently open.

The recent “EU Pollinators’ Initiative” sets strategic objectives and a set of actions to be taken by the EU and its Members States to address threats to pollinators. One action under this EU Pollinators’ Initiative is the development of a guidance document on land management practices that benefit pollinators, which is aimed at managing authorities, advisory services and farmers. Part of this guidance will cover pollinator conservation measures, such as management of field margins, hedgerows or other non-cropped habitat.

In this context, Pollinis a European non-for-profit organization has submitted a request to EKLIPSE to explore current knowledge and understanding of the impact of pesticide (including herbicide) and fertilizer use in the wider environment on these pollinator conservation measures. In particular, there is a need to determine the impact of pesticides and fertilisers in farmland on adjacent pollinator conservation measures, in order to develop guidelines on the most effective pollinatorfriendly agro-infrastructure. (For more details see the EKLIPSE document of work). Please note that this request is not about the impact of pesticides and fertilisers on pollinators generally. These impacts are widely discussed and well-known. It is about the impact of pesticide and fertiliser use on the effectiveness of other pollinator conservation measures.

To implement this request, EKLIPSE is inviting experts from relevant fields and sectors to join a shortterm expert working group (EWG), who will work from November 2019 to January 2020:

1) to frame the scope of conservation measures that will be considered
2) to identify and provide access to the current relevant evidence (including scientific studies, grey literature and other types of knowledge).

A research assistant will make use of these sources to prepare a draft knowledge review on the impacts of pesticide and fertiliser use in farmland on the effectiveness of adjacent pollinator conservation measures such as flower strips and hedgerows. 3) to participate in a face-to-face workshop (9-10 of January 2020) that aims at discussing the proposed knowledge review and forecasts, and develop common assumptions and informed opinions. In terms of knowledge gaps and research priorities.

Key Dates and Important Information

• Interested experts should apply before midnight on the 3rd of November, 2019, following the rules and procedures detailed below.
• The Experts Working Group (EWG) will be selected by 8thNovember 2019 -We will aim to have a first expert group meeting in the week of the 11th of November, 2019.
• All experts of the EWG are expected to attend the multi-stakeholder workshop that will be held on the 9-10 of January 2020 in Brussels.
• Please find more information on expectations of and support to EKLIPSE Expert Working Groups on the EKLIPSE website