Over the last decades, the decline in the abundance and diversity of European wild insect pollinators has drawn much scientific and public attention. The trend constitutes a dramatic issue for both biodiversity protection and food security due to the crucial role of pollination in the propagation of many plant species. To provide a framework for a coherent tackling of pollinators decline across the European Union, in 2018 the European Commission adopted the EU Pollinators Initiative, which has been revised in 2023 (COM(2023) 35) as A New Deal for Pollinators. This Communication set up an EU-wide framework for short- to long-term actions to understand better the drivers and dynamics of the decline and ultimately support the recovery of insects. The third priority of the Initiative focuses on ‘Mobilising the society and promoting strategic planning and cooperation at all levels’, highlighting that ‘Implementing the actions outlined under the previous two priorities will require broad mobilisation of all relevant actors, including scientists, policymakers, citizens, farmers and businesses’.

The Science and Technology for Pollinating Insects (STING) project is developed under the framework of the European Initiative on Pollinators, with one of its work packages focusing on exploring innovative forms of engaging citizens using the principles of co-creation. As part of this project, several pilots have been implemented testing different methodologies with focus on different social groups and in different locations. This included pilots focusing on youth engagement as well as collaborations between citizens and farmers. 

This specific project focused on engaging urban citizens in developing local interventions for supporting coexistence between people and pollinators. In particular the pilots explored the potential role of museums as locations for citizen engagement processes. In methodological terms, the project included testing arts-based methods as well as the recently developed virtual reality experience Pollinator Park.   

Museums were chosen as locations for these pilots because of the recent trend of promoting participatory approaches, where these institutions take on the role of supporting the dialogue between different types of knowledge, including the local and experiential knowledge of citizens and the established scientific knowledge. Thanks to this museums are progressively become 'safe spaces' where difficult discussions on timely and controversial topics can take place. Due to the emphasis on sensory, aesthetic and emotional experience, museums also become fitting locations for testing new methodologies grounded in arts, prototyping or material deliberation.