B-Lines

Saving bees and other pollinators from extinction by restoring rich, wildflower habitats across the UK.

Clients: Buglife, Natural England
Date: 2016
Services: Digital Mapping, Data Analysis

Throughout the UK, 97% of species-rich grassland has been lost since 1940, mainly due to modern farming methods and urban spread. As a result, 75% of our pollinators are in decline, and 35 species of bees face extinction.

Much of our wildlife is now confined to tiny, isolated habitats and, if action isn’t taken to restore and reconnect them, between 40 and 70% of native species may go extinct.

The B-Lines initiative intends to help combat this catastrophic bio-diversity loss via the creation of a UK-wide network of pollinator-friendly habitats, known as ‘B-Lines.’ This network of B-Lines will restore at least 150,000 hectares of rich meadows and grassland, and reconnect currently isolated habitat areas all over the UK.

Before launching the B-Lines project, Buglife and Natural England asked CBDC to map out existing insect pollinator populations across Cumbria, Lanashire, and Greater Manchester.

In collaboration with other record centers, we analysed, edited, and digitally mapped out existing and collected pollinator habitat data, via ArcGIS model building. Our maps formed the working foundations for the North West B-Line networks, and helped to develop project methodology that was used in other B-Line projects around the UK.

Thanks to our work in the North and contribution to the wider B-Lines project, CBDC was hired to work on the Bee Roads South project.

Above & Below:
Maps created for the Cumbria, Lancashire, and Manchester B-Line project areas. Proposed B-Lines are displayed in yellow, and existing habitats in green (below right).

Below:
The full B-Lines network. CBDC’s North West project area is marked in blue.

Below:
A flow chart demonstrating our mapping process for the project.

Stage 1 began with a collaborative effort from local recording and data centers to identify potential habitats. During Stage 2, we evaluated the quality and suitability of these habitats, narrowing them down into Core Areas. A 3 kilometre buffer was added around the Core Areas, which provided the first step towards creating the B-Line network. During Stage 3, we used digital modelling to analyse terrain and map out the most efficient way to connect the Core areas, founding the B-Lines network.

(SSSI = Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

Links and Credits:

Buglife B-Lines website
– Images sourced from: BumblebeeConservation.org (Steven Falk, final image), BBC.co.uk (Iain H. Leach, butterfly), and B-Lines

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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle keeps wildlife information for the county of Cumbria. Tullie House Museum, in its role as a local natural history museum, has collected and disseminated records of wildlife in Cumbria since its inception in 1893. From the early 1990s the Museum has developed a computerised database of species and habitat records in Cumbria and has taken the central role in providing a local biodiversity data service for the county. This role was restyled as Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) in 2010, a not-for-profit organisation hosted by Tullie House Museum and advised by local stakeholders.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, May 19th, 2025 at 9:30pm
Job Opportunity:
Eden Rivers Trust is recruiting for a 2-day per week Project Assistant on the Access to Eden Project. Deadline is 27th May:
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, May 14th, 2025 at 12:58am
CBDC are involved in many recording events this summer – and we’d like YOUR help with recording. If you can come along to one (or more) event(s) and help to record the wildlife you see, please do register your interest and we’ll get in contact with details about the session. All are in interesting locations – some with very few existing records.
Link to booking:
https://www.cbdc.org.uk/get-involved/recording-days/
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreTuesday, May 13th, 2025 at 4:22am
The Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy Consultation is open: https://cumbrialnrs.org.uk/public-consultation

Have your say before 22 June to help shape a positive future for nature in Cumbria.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, May 12th, 2025 at 1:29am
The Growing Ecoskills in Cumbria project has arranged a series of training courses at venues across Cumbria this spring/summer. See the full programme and book your ticket here:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cumbria-ecoskills

The first course is on Wednesday 21st May 2025 at Orton Market Hall looking at developing self-guided wildlife walks - places available!
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, May 9th, 2025 at 12:00am
We’re looking forward to the Wild Weekend Bioblitz at Torpenhow tomorrow. Weather forecast is good so we should gather plenty of wildlife records!
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, May 8th, 2025 at 8:15am
Interested in creating Cumbrian wildlife walks in your local area? This training session might be of interest to you! Places remaining on 21 May at Orton Market Hall.
Booking here:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cumbria-ecoskills/t-pqnkdvd

Created for Orton Wildlife and Landscape (OWLs) group, the session will be of interest to other groups in Cumbria who want to create curated walks for their communities and visitors.