How Informed Design Can Make a Difference: Supporting Insect Pollinators in Cities

Pollinators are responsible for the reproduction of many plant and crop species and provide important diversity for food webs and cultural value. Despite the critical ecosystem services provided by pollinators, rapid pollinator declines are occurring in response to anthropogenic activities that cause the loss of suitable habitat. There is an opportunity for urban green space to support pollination ecosystem services locally and across the landscape. However, there is a lack of practical but evidence-based guidance on how urban green space can be designed effectively to provide floral resources and other habitat needs to a diverse assemblage of pollinators. We examine the existing pollinator research in this paper to address the following questions specific to insect pollinators in temperate urban settings: (1) Which pollinators can be the focus of efforts to increase pollinator ecosystem services in cities? (2) Which plants and what arrangements of plants are most attractive and supportive to urban pollinators? (3) What do urban pollinators need beyond floral resources? (4) How can the surrounding landscape inform where to prioritize new habitat creation within cities? Using these questions as a framework, we provide specific and informed management and planning recommendations that optimize pollinator ecosystem value in urban settings.

Automated summary

Pollinators play a crucial role in the reproduction of plant and crop species, providing diverse food webs and cultural value. However, due to human activities causing habitat loss, there has been a rapid decline in pollinators. Urban green space has the potential to support pollination ecosystem services, but there is a lack of evidence-based guidance on how to effectively design green spaces to accommodate a diverse range of pollinators. This paper examines existing research on urban pollinators and provides management and planning recommendations to enhance the value of pollinator ecosystems in urban settings.