122. Pollinating London Together, Drapers’ Hall, 22 February 2024

Representatives of the Livery and the City of London joined experts on wildlife and natural places to hear Prof Alistair Griffiths, Director of Science and Collections, Royal Horticultural Society, give a lecture on the importance of pollinators and green spaces on mental health and well-being.

Pollinating London Together was created by Livery Companies and members come from the City, academia and private individuals.  It is raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and pollinators, and their recent substantial decline.

Prof Griffiths started with the results of a recent survey showing the benefits of access to green spaces.

He identified four pathways linking pollinator health and human health:

• Pollinator dependent plants
• Pollinator derived products
• Green spaces and bicultural landscapes
• Clean water, air and food

Pollinators contribute to human health through nutrition, medicine provision, mental health and environmental quality.

He described the benefits to human health:

• Psychological benefit
• Positive feeling
• Sense of awe, wonder and mindfulness
• Calm, relaxed, less anxious

Nature is a human right (our habitat); it benefits our mental, physical and social health and therefore everyone should have a space to grow.

It was a fascinating and most enjoyable evening.