The LIFE POLINIZAÇORES project aims to support the recovery of wild pollinator communities by improving and restoring their habitats across the Azores. As part of this initiative, the University of the Azores, through the Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso and the Azorean Biodiversity Group, is implementing a comprehensive pollinator monitoring programme in intervention areas on São Miguel, Faial, Flores and Terceira.
The programme focuses on three major groups—wild bees, hoverflies and butterflies—and combines standardised observation transects, timed point counts, coloured pan traps and, at selected sites, SLAM traps. These complementary methods will establish a robust pre-intervention baseline, document species diversity and relative abundance, and allow comparison with post-intervention conditions.
A major component of the project is the training of technical staff from the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Food, enabling local teams to apply simple, repeatable monitoring protocols and collect comparable data over time. Survey records will be taxonomically validated and organised according to Darwin Core standards.
The resulting information will also support the development of an Index of Biotic Integrity adapted to Azorean pollinator communities, providing a practical tool to assess ecological condition, monitor population trends and evaluate the effectiveness of habitat restoration actions throughout the project.
Secretaria Regional da Agricultura e Alimentação
