SEROTONIN · A Sight for sore Eyes: BRidging PeOple and PollinaTors ThrOugh PolliNator monItoriNg

The unprecedented loss of biodiversity is one of today’s greatest environmental challenges, with pollinators at its core. Recognising this crisis, the EU launched the New Deal for Pollinators (2023) and, through the Nature Restoration Regulation (2024), made pollinator monitoring legally binding for Member States. Citizen science is central to these efforts, offering cost-effective data collection while reconnecting people with nature, particularly in cities where direct contact with biodiversity is limited.The SEROTONIN project (“A Sight for Sore Eyes: BRidging PeOple and PollinaTors ThrOugh PolliNator monitoring”) addresses three challenges: pollinator decline, urban disconnection from nature, and limited opportunities for public engagement. By bridging ecology, environmental psychology, citizen science, and environmental education, SEROTONIN seeks to advance beyond the state of the art. It will explore behavioural drivers in Southeastern Europe, assess the potential well-being benefits of pollinator monitoring through the first experimental approach of its kind, and evaluate scalable models for urban engagement. The project objectives are: O1: investigate psychological and socio-demographic drivers of pro-pollinator behaviour; O2: experimentally assess how pollinator monitoring influences mood and state mindfulness; and O3: evaluate co-designed Pollinator Monitoring Stations as nature-based solutions for education, engagement, and conservation. Through interdisciplinary training in research, environmental education, and community engagement, this fellowship will strengthen my academic profile and prepare me for leadership in environmental policy and management. The outcomes will support the development of a citizen science-oriented pollinator monitoring scheme and foster innovative nature-based solutions that benefit both ecological health and human well-being.