Designed urban plant communities: Do they promote pollinating insects?

Pollinating insects are declining worldwide.

Cities have the potential to be hotspots of pollinator biodiversity, and pollinator-friendly management of urban green space can contribute to reversing pollinator declines. “Designed plant communities” with non-native plants that require low management efforts are established with the aim of promoting urban biodiversity, including pollinators, but it is not clear how well they achieve that goal.

This project aims to provide evidence-based guidance for planning and design of urban green spaces that promote wild pollinators.

In close collaboration with managers in several Swedish cities, we will: a) Quantify the amount of floral resources, i.e. nectar and pollen, produced in different types flower-rich urban green areas across the season, b) Compare the diversity of pollinators and structure of plant-pollinator networks among designed plant communities dominated by non-native plants, meadow plantations with native plants and semi-natural vegetation c) Assess if the establishment of flower-rich habitats in the city increase pollinator population sizes or only attract pollinators from surrounding areas, and d)  Assess if non-native designed plant communities contribute to homogenization of urban pollinator communities.

Our project will provide concrete knowledge for the conservation of pollinator diversity, and thereby fulfilling several national, European and international environmental and sustainability objectives.