It’s annual Biodiversity Day tomorrow May 22nd and Translink’s biodiversity team are busy bees monitoring pollinators.
The team is continuing to survey and map pollinators in Translink’s annual pollinator monitoring programme, conducting Flower-Insect Timed Counts (FIT Counts) along the company’s transport
corridors including bus and train stations.
Running from April to September the FIT Count involves recording broad groups of insects that visit particular flowers. The citizen science project will help collect valuable information for the UK
Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) and the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
Translink’s Biodiversity Manager Suzanne Sinclair explained: “Insect pollinators are an essential part of the environment and our floral displays at stations and halts provide opportunities to
increase local biodiversity.
“FIT counts also provide valuable insights into how pollinator populations are shifting in response to climate change.”
Ciaran McLarnon, Biodiversity MSc placement student from Queens University Belfast who is undertaking the surveys this year said: “I am proud to do my part to begin the vital work of
mapping pollinator species along Translink’s transport network that not only connects people, but also links fragmented landscapes.”
To find out more about how to get involved please visit:
FIT Counts: help us monitor pollinators | PoMS (ukpoms.org.uk) or
Flower-Insect Timed Count (FIT Count) – National Biodiversity Data Centre (biodiversityireland.ie)
The UN celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity annually on May 22nd. The Day aims to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.
