The dwindling number of bees and butterflies in Norfolk has prompted a new council drive to provide better conditions for pollinating insects.
Norfolk County Council has unveiled a new strategy to protect pollinators - and leaders hope people, including farmers, will help create conditions which important insects can thrive in.
The move comes as data shows 23 species of bee which used to be found in Norfolk are now considered extinct, while more than 76pc of the UK's butterflies have declined, including the Swallowtail butterfly - only found on the Norfolk Broads.
READ MORE: Norfolk County Council climate change policy under fire
The council, which says pollinators are crucial to maintain a healthy ecosystem, wants to encourage farmers on its 17,000-acre County Farms estate to reduce pesticide use and manage land to encourage insects such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and wasps.
The new pollinator action plan also details how the council will look to manage verges on roads and footpaths to provide habitats for the insects.
The county already has just over 110 roadside nature reserves - small pockets of land which contain scarce and unusual plants - which aim to increase biodiversity.
The council originally launched the roadside nature reserve scheme in 1995, in association with Norfolk Wildlife Trust, but wants to expand the scheme so pollinators have more homes.
The authority hopes its actions will encourage the public to also embrace ways to give bees and other pollinators a helping hand.
READ MORE: Norwich Western Link road disastrous for wildlife warning
Members of the county council's infrastructure and development committee agreed to adopt the action plan at a meeting last Wednesday.
Eric Vardy, the Conservative-controlled council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "If we do not respect nature, we are doomed."
The action plan will be administered by existing staff in the council's environment service who will suggest changes to current land management practices and provide advice
Where there are cost implications, the council hopes grants will be secured from other organisations to pay for them.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here