Debrecen4U
June 10, 2025
International pollinator protection programme launches with Debrecen participation
“On the occasion of World Environment Day, Debrecen Zoo is the first and only Hungarian zoo to represent Hungary in a nature conservation LIFE project funded by the European Union,” Debrecen Zoo announced in a statement. The three-year international programme aims to halt the decline in pollinating insects – including wild bees, butterflies and hummingbirds – and to promote the restoration of their natural habitats in urban and peri-urban green areas, including zoo parks.
The managing director of Debrecen Zoo, Sándor Gergely Nagy, highlighted that the announcement also reflects the spirit of World Environment Day, and that we need to provide local responses to global challenges.
The project, called “ZOO LIFE POLLINATORS”, with a total cost of EUR 4 million, involves 15 partner organisations, including eight zoos, two universities, as well as foundations, small businesses and environmental consulting firms. The project is led by the “Fondazione Zoom and Zoom In Progress” in Turin, and the University of Turin and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the University of Zagreb are responsible for providing the research background. The participants from Central and Northern Europe – such as the Copenhagen Zoo, the City of Gothenburg, Nordens Ark, and the zoos in Zagreb, Brasov and Tenerife – primarily undertook habitat reconstruction work, environmental education, and public relations and awareness-raising activities, as did the Royal Scottish Zoo and the Italian partner organisation bringing together butterfly circles. The scientific credibility of the cooperation is guaranteed by the European Butterfly Partnership, while the Italian company Smart Revolution is responsible for the digital management.
The application was officially approved in May 2025, so the professional implementation can start in the fall of 2025. Debrecen Zoo will carry out nature conservation and awareness-raising developments with EUR 175,000 of EU funding during the programme. The support includes the expansion of green infrastructure – such as the creation of green roofs, school gardens and flower meadows – as well as the creation of new educational signs, pollinator farms and educational programmes, as well as the salary costs of professional staff. The project fits well with the pollinator research activities carried out jointly with the University of Debrecen. Debrecen Zoo can thus actively contribute to the preservation of biodiversity not only at the Hungarian but also at the European level.
Source:dehir.hu Photo credit: Pixabay
