Introducing B-Lines

Motorways for Insects!

At ICC, we are very proud to be members of 1% for the Planet – a global network of thousands of businesses and environmental organisations working together to support people and the planet. One of the commitments that we make as a member of this organisation, is to donate 1% of our annual revenue to environmental causes. In 2024, we chose to support BugLife and today we want to tell you a bit about one of their key initiatives: B-Lines. 

BugLife introduce the concept of B-Lines as follows: “Imagine trying to travel around the UK without our road and rail network. Or imagine if nine out of every ten miles of road just didn’t exist – life would be impossible! That is the situation faced by our vital pollinators and other bugs, and B-Lines is our unique solution.” 

As cities increase in size, land is cleared for industrial purposes, and new transport links are built, flower-rich grasslands have suffered. BugLife states that 97% of flower-rich grasslands have been lost since the 1930s, which massively reduces pollen and nectar sources and obviously impacts our wildlife.  

BugLife’s B-Lines are a series of ‘insect pathways’ running through our countryside and towns, along which they are restoring and creating a series of wildflower-rich habitat stepping stones. They link existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that will weave across the UK landscape. This will help our wildlife to move around, increase the number of insect pollinators, and bring benefits to the wider eco-system as a result. 

The best bit? We can all get involved in helping to create these insect pathways. Have a look at this interactive map on BugLife’s website and see whether you live or work on a B-Line. Soon you’ll see ICC on the map as we have seeded the grassland outside our offices with a local bug-friendly wildflower mix, to help extend the insect pathway! Could you contribute to ensuring this initiative is a huge success? Let us know! 

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