Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: 7AM - 7PM
Weekend: 10AM - 5PM
How Nature’s Allies Pollinators, Soil and Wetlands – Can Save Agriculture in a Changing Climate
Supported by a consortium of four high-profile EU institutions, the project contributes to critical policy frameworks, including Natura 2000, the Habitats Directive, the European Green Deal, and the EU’s 2020 Biodiversity Strategy, alongside international commitments like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Case Study 1: From Landscapes to Fields: Supporting Wild Pollinators Increases Carbon Storage and Sunflower Yields
Soils serve as one of the largest carbon reservoirs in terrestrial ecosystems. However, different ecosystem types within a landscape vary greatly in how much they contribute to capturing and storing carbon. At the same time, ecosystems differ in the quality of habitats they provide for pollinators. Landscapes with few and fragmented patches of semi-natural grassland tend to host less diverse and smaller pollinator communities than those with larger, well-connected semi-natural habitats. This variation has direct implications for agriculture, as fields surrounded by diverse pollinator habitats typically attract more pollinators and achieve higher crop yields, compared to those in intensively managed landscapes with limited habitat diversity.
SONATA Case Study 1 investigates how landscape conditions affect the carbon budget and pollinator diversity of entire landscapes, and how increasing the availability of ecosystem types that support wild pollinators can be a nature based solution for increasing crop yield in sunflower fields. The research focuses on the role of surrounding landscape composition, particularly the presence, quantity, and spatial arrangement of seminatural habitats on three important ecosystem services: Soil organic carbon sequestration, pollinator diversity, and pollination services.
The hypothesis: fields embedded in more complex, mosaic landscapes with seminatural habitats closer to all parts of the agricultural fields experience higher pollination rates, and improved seed production as well as higher levels of carbon sequestration in the soil.
To test this, the team conducts pollination limitation experiments that compare seed production in naturally pollinated sunflower flowers to those that receive supplemental hand pollination. This allows them to estimate the extent to which wild pollinators contribute to overall yield.
In parallel, wildlife cameras are used to monitor insect visits to sunflower blooms. Placed at varying distances from seminatural habitats, these cameras help assess how proximity to such areas influences pollination activity. Findings will contribute to understanding how landscape management can support biodiversity while strengthening agricultural sustainability.
Soil characteristics map, provided within the framework of SONATA, coupled with the experiment results, will offer invaluable information on the spatial allocation of NbS in the future, to ensure boosting the three targeted ecosystem services.
Case Study 2: Restoring Wetlands for building Water Resilience and drought mitigation
The SONATA project is testing how restoring natural water regimes can buffer these extremes. At a small pilot site – the historical artesian well Kanjiški Jaraši near Vojvoda Zimonic – the SONATA team is testing how the hydrological cycle might change if water is artificially trapped using small gates in a natural depression during spring and then released during the dry period.
With the help of drones, we have already obtained a precise digital elevation
model and vegetation indices, completed an infiltration experiment, and created a
bathymetry map of the well.
All of this data will help us set up a conceptual model and explore various “what
if?” scenarios. The team will also assess the upscaling potential of this solution
and, in future, by adjusting the operation of existing floodgates in the Danube
Tisa-Danube (DTD) canal system, water can be redirected back into meadows and
shallow lakes during spring, then gradually released in summer to stabilise
groundwater levels.
This approach, if successful, would reduce drought impacts on surrounding
farmland while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services.
To ensure the solutions are practical and sustainable, SONATA applies the Living Lab approach. Farmers, nature conservationists, local communities, and the regional water management company come together to co-design potential interventions and implement best practices. While water managers must balance flood risks with restoration goals, the dialogue enables co-creation of strategies that align ecological restoration with agricultural needs and legal frameworks.
The long-term vision is to provide a proof of concept at several pilot sites, showing how NbS can be scaled up to improve resilience across Vojvodina and beyond. Wetland restoration could become a cornerstone of sustainable water management, reducing drought vulnerability and boosting climate adaptation in the wider region.
Nature as Our Best Ally
The SONATA project highlights two powerful lessons: healthy ecosystems underpin resilient agriculture, and communities thrive when science, policy, and local knowledge come together. By investing in Nature-based Solutions whether through pollinator-friendly landscapes or restored wetlands Serbia and Southeast Europe can turn climate challenges into opportunities for sustainable growth.
Nature is not just a victim of climate change, it is our most reliable partner in overcoming it.