Warminster Plan Bee Community Project brings people, places and biodiversity together and is the brainchild of Sustainable Warminster working in partnership with the MOD and other major landowners and organisations. The aim is to enhance the land around the town of Warminster to support and reverse the decline of our native bees and other important pollinators, by adopting the mantra taken from the Lawton Principles of ‘Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network’, bigger, better, and more joined up.
This means: • Protecting what we have while improving its quality with better management; • Increasing the size of wildlife sites; • Enhancing connection by creating new wildlife corridors or stepping stones; • Creating new sites; • Reducing pressure on wildlife by improving the wider environment including buffering wildlife sites.
The recently formed Warminster Garrison Environmental Committee, has been working with its Industry Partners and Sustainable Warminster to help meet its and the MODs wider responsibilities to Sustainability and in particular Biodiversity, with its Green Space Enhancements across the Warminster Garrison footprint in support of Warminster Plan Bee (WPB).
Pollination Street – A Giving Back (Social Values) Initiative
WPB and its latest Pollination Street initiative is aligned with the aspirations set out in the UK’s Greening Government Commitments and the Ministry of Defence Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach. The Strategy includes targets to create 30,000m2 of pollinator friendly habitat by 2025, 75,000m2 by 2030 and a goal to reach 100,000m2 by 2040. This supports the MOD strategic approach by helping to implement the Nurturing Nature Programme.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) introduced the DIOGivingBack campaign in January 2024. Leveraging the principles outlined in the Government Social Value Model, the DIOGivingBack campaign aims to create substantial and measurable social value through targeted actions and strategic partnerships. In particular, the initiative has established a cohesive partnership with the Social Value Leads from Amey, VIVO and Pinnacle to deliver joint social value impact. Standing shoulder to shoulder, contributing to the well-being of service families, communities and the environment.
Pollination Street combines these initiatives and provides a unique delivery mechanism to achieve tangible results for all concerned.