This is a public survey, but it's not public-friendly. So, Avaaz and partners have gone through and designed a guide for all of us to be able to fill in the survey without expert knowledge. These answers are suggested by experts, but you are of course free to answer in any way you like.
The process takes about ten minutes. That may feel like too long, but honestly, if we all take just those ten minutes, it could help save the bees and our food supply. Sounds worth it!
To begin with: open the consultation link by clicking on the button below — it's easier to keep it open in another tab and go through the easy-to-follow guide below.
Now to make it easy, follow along with the step-by-step guide below to help you fill it in.
Select that you are filling in the survey “as an individual”.
The next few questions are specific to you.
For “Your contribution” Avaaz recommends allowing your contribution to be published, and allowing the Commission to contact you, but it’s entirely up to you.
Q1. Specific to you.
Q2. Specific to you.
Q3. For all questions in the table tick "indispensable". Bees are indispensable in all these ways!
Q4. Select “Costs are much lower than the benefits”.
Q5. Select “Domesticated pollinators contribute a lot less than wild pollinators”.
| Very important. | Important | Somewhat important | Not important | No opinion/not sure | |
| 1. Agricultural intensification | X | ||||
| 1.1 Simplification of agricultural landscapes (e.g. monocultures) | X | ||||
| 1.2. Increased grazing/mowing of grasslands | X | ||||
| 1.3.Use of fertilizers | X | ||||
| 1.4. Use of pesticides | X | ||||
| 2. Farmland abandonment | X | ||||
| 3. Urbanization | X | ||||
| 4. Pollution (including light pollution) | X | ||||
| 5. Invasive alien species | X | ||||
| 6. Diseases (e.g. pathogens, parasites) | X | ||||
| 7. Climate change | X | ||||
| 8. Other | X |
Q10. "Not well" to "Not at all well."
Q11. "Not well" to "Not at all well".
Q12. On all levels of government a lot more needs to be done to stop the decline of pollinators. Tick "A lot in all rows.
Q13. All of the listed actions would help pollinators. The actions we have marked as “Important” might even be very important, but either not essential for EU action, or have the potential for alternative approaches.
Scroll horizontally to see full content on mobile| Very important. | Important | Somewhat important | Not important | No opinion/not sure | |
| 1. Assess and monitor the decline of pollinators | X | ||||
| 2. Analyse threats to pollinators and the consequences of their decline | X | ||||
| 3. Promote innovation for the conservation of pollinators | X | ||||
| 4. Protect and restore pollinator habitats in Natura 2000 sites | X | ||||
| 5. Protect and restore pollinator habitats in rural areas outside Natura 2000 sites | X | ||||
| 6. Protect and restore pollinator habitats in urban areas outside Natura 2000 sites | X | ||||
| 7. Assess risks of pesticides to pollinators | X | ||||
| 8. Implement Integrated Pest Management | X | ||||
| 9. Combat invasive alien species | X | ||||
| 10. Mitigate climate change impacts on pollinators | X | ||||
| 11. Reduce pollution (including light pollution) | X | ||||
| 12. Protect pollinators from diseases | X | ||||
| 13. Support the efforts of the private sector | X | ||||
| 14. Create market incentives for pollinator friendly activities | X | ||||
| 15. Engage local communities | X | ||||
| 16. Support knowledge sharing among stakeholders | X | ||||
| 17. Support collaboration among Member States | X | ||||
| 18. Support the development of local/regional/national strategies | X |
Writing a personal message here is critical. If this space is blank or copy and pasted, regulators will treat all our submissions as the same. Write a personal message about why this issue matters to you, and why you want the EU to do more to protect our pollinators. You may want to mention your support for a full ban on bee-harming neonicotinoids, as currently under discussion among the European Commission and EU member states.
Thank you for taking the time to push for better bee protection!