Description
The aim of this project is to develop the 25 Year Environment Plan Indicator on Functional Species.
This study will explore the following broad questions:
1. Which pollinators are the most important?
2. Which pollination services are important, e.g. crops, rare plants, plants (or species of principle importance, as listed under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act), plants with a unique pollinator-plant relationship?
3. What metric(s) should be used for potential indicators of pollination services?
The short description of the D7 indicator is:
‘All species have a functional role within ecosystems such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, nutrient cycling, predator-prey and symbiotic relationships such as pollination. plants, fungi, algae, invertebrates and soil micro-organisms are particularly important. The presence, abundance and diversity of species are key factors in determining the resilience of ecosystems to environmental changes, including climate change and disease, and the maintenance of ecosystem services. Further research is required to develop this indicator, building on the existing pollinator indicator and defining species groups and functions for inclusion.’
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