Therefore, this paper provides an example of how planted roofs can be adapted in such a way that they become more attractive for a wider variety of species. This is done by focusing on creating a roof that is especially attractive for a large number of bee species in the city of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. By creating a design for a roof with a species mix based on indigenous plant species, the roof is projected to be more attractive to local bee species than conventional Sedum planted roofs. Monitoring the bee visitation rates on the roof over the coming years will give a conclusive answer to this hypothesis.
Plan Bee
Designing the Ideal Bee Habitat in Urban Green Space
If we want to conserve a sufficient part of global biodiversity, we will need to integrate biodiversity conservation in the human environment rather than dedicating these efforts to nature reserves alone. Reconciliation ecology describes how human environments can be adapted to become attractive to a wider variety of non-human species. The divide between nature and humans is often the biggest in cities, because they have been subject of radical land use change. However, this is not a reason to exclude cities from applications of reconciliation ecology. The urban environment provides plenty of opportunities to create habitats for non-human species without inhibiting its use for humans. One of these examples is the construction of planted roofs. These structures have a number of economical as well as environmental benefits for humans, but they can also be a habitat for a variety of species. However, the ecological benefits of planted roofs are not always optimally utilized.
Afbeelding credits
Icon afbeelding: Wikimedia Commons - bijen