Farrans Construction has called on schools and community groups across NI to express their interest in participating in a pollinator programme, as part of the firm's commitment to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan (AIPP).

The AIPP is a framework which brings together different sectors across the island of Ireland to create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. It is implemented by the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

One third of Ireland's wild bee species is threatened with extinction because we have drastically reduced the amount of food and safe nesting sites that support them. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is a shared plan of action: together, we can take steps to restore pollinator populations to healthy levels.

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Victoria Johnston, Sustainability Advisor at Farrans Construction, said: "As a business we are committed to managing our operations in a responsible way, by ensuring no net loss of biodiversity, by taking action to protect the environment and its precious habitats. Signing up to support the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is another step in the right direction as we continue to look at nature-based solutions and impactful ways to improve our environment. Our bee population is dropping to critical levels, and I am proud that we are responding to this with positive biodiversity solutions.

"In the last year we have already donated over 500 pollinator plants and trees, and we are looking forward to matching that again in the coming months. We are introducing biodiversity gains to our projects and offices and working with Wildlife Trusts across the UK to plan and implement biodiversity enhancement projects at our sites and landholdings. We have increased our training and awareness initiatives to ensure a high-level commitment to ecological mitigation and have delivered 83 environmental volunteering activities, education and outreach projects. These efforts are helping us become a positive force for nature's recovery by managing our business sites and landholdings for wildlife."