Do agri-environment scheme wildflower strips support insect crop pollination services in England?

Insects provide vital ecosystem services, including pollination. Yet, they face significant declines globally. Agricultural intensification is a key driver of pollinator deterioration, resulting in habitat and floral resource losses. To address this, agri-environment schemes (AES) offer farmers financial incentives for implementing sustainable interventions, like wildflower strips. Here I review the literature evaluating English AES wildflower strips’ support for insect crop pollination services. I compare research examining indirect parameters – primarily measures of pollinator abundance and diversity – versus direct parameters of pollination service delivery across England and find no translation. This is explained by scheme- and farmscale differences and uninformed seed mixture choices. Prospective research should focus on pollinator species-specific requirements to tailor wildflower strip composition and holistic AES intervention selections. Additionally, long-term studies incorporating complementary parameters will offer deeper insight into pollination service support. Overall, English AES possess great potential to ameliorate pollinator conservation; however, future recommendations must be evidence-based.