Dora Aguín-Pombo, curator of the Insect Collection and lecturer at the Faculty of Life Sciences of the University of Madeira (FCV-UMa), and Hugo Miguel Silva, PhD student in Biological Sciences at the same faculty, recently participated in the preparation of two publications of great relevance for the enhancement of biodiversity and pollinators in Portugal.
According to a press statement issued by the University of Madeira, the ‘Guide to Pollinating Insects in the Funchal Ecological Park,’ resulting from a partnership between the Municipality of Funchal, through the Funchal Ecological Park, and the University of Madeira, is one of these publications. It is a work that “makes known the main groups of pollinating insects in the Park, highlighting their ecological relevance and the essential role in the balance of ecosystems and the preservation of plant species.”
The guide was presented on the 16th of October, at the Reception and Interpretation Centre of the Funchal Ecological Park, and published by the Funchal City Council.
The ‘Pollinators Guide to Portugal,’ which was again presented on the 18th of October, at the Tropical Greenhouse of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, illustrates 222 species belonging to different functional groups of pollinators from mainland Portugal and the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores.
Within the scope of the PolinizAÇÃO project, the Action Plan for the Conservation and Sustainability of Pollinators (PACSP) is also under public consultation, which aims to protect pollinator populations, including bees, butterflies, hoverflies, and other pollinators, essential to biodiversity and ecological sustainability.
The document is currently under public consultation until the 21st of November 2025, on the Participa portal.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
