With our second 12″ reissue containing the title track “Sting Me“, we thought it was the perfect excuse to draw some attention to the current matter of insects disappearing in unprecedented numbers. By purchasing the record you automatically donate 1 euro to Bug Life and more specifically to their B-Lines Initiative.
The loss of bees and other bugs is alarming since insects are an important food source for countless bird, fish, and mammal species. Pollinators like bees and hoverflies also perform a crucial role in fruit, vegetable, and nut production. The human drivers of this decline in insect populations are mainly the heavy use of pesticides in our industrial agricultural systems, followed by urbanisation and climate change. The interdependency of wildlife through food webs means that if too many species fail at the same time, wildlife’s entire ecological structure could collapse. Through feedback loops, this would represent a tipping point threatening other planetary structures, such as the atmosphere composition and the richness of the soil.
Bug Life’s aim is to halt the extinction of invertebrate species and to achieve sustainable populations of invertebrates. Specifically, the B-Lines Initiative by Bug Life aims to substantially increase the area of permanent wildflower-rich habitats in the UK, helping to support insect pollinators and other wildlife. Focussing on habitat restoration and creation, a network is mapped in South Wales where insect pollinators are provided with food, foraging, nesting and shelter. Wildflower-rich areas and flowering shrubs and trees are essential to provide pollen and nectar, whereas hedgerow bottoms and uncut grasslands can provide important shelter.
We were made aware of this project by Plan A, the first action platform fighting climate change. Using data to predict where and how climate change will hit the hardest, they use this knowledge to help businesses and individuals connect to these issues and the people solving them. Plan A provides climate change fighting organisations with access to capital from individuals and companies to support their activities such as biodiversity conservation, agroforestry, installing renewable energy systems and much more. You can find all their partner projects here.