BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND BUSINESS – IS THAT POSSIBLE? LET´S FIND OUT TOGETHER!

IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATORS

Pollinators play an important functional role in most terrestrial ecosystems and represent a key component of global biodiversity that is vital to the maintenance of both wild plant communities and agricultural productivity. Unfortunately a growing number of studies show that pollinators are declining worldwide. Pollinator declines can result in loss of pollination services which have negative impacts that could significantly affect the maintenance of wild plant diversity, wider ecosystem stability, crop production, food security and human wellbeing.

HABITAT LOSS CAUSED BY URBANISATION AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF MITIGATING IMPACTS

Although urbanisation is a major cause of habitat loss and native populations extinction, the mosaic of urban land use can act as ecological corridors and stepping stones amid a monoculture matrix. Cities may therefore be valuable fields in mitigating the detrimental impacts of urban expansion and are even considered ecosystems with their own ecosystem services from which humans benefit. With regard to pollination as one of the services, studies on urban ecology have shown that cities have the potential to be pollinator reservoirs, playing a role in the attraction of pollinators and, consequently, in the maintenance of the associated flora. For all this, cities can maintain pollinator populations through the planning and construction of pollinator-friendly environments.

GARDENING FOR POLLINATORS

In a context of biodiversity conservation within cities, our project will act in the development, commercialization and implementation of pollinator-friendly landscape projects supported by a tripod: architectural concepts, aesthetic value, and pollinator conservation. The innovation and originality of this project are in the construction of gardens following unusual requirements in conventional landscaping. Examples of these requirements include dense shrubberies, climbers, areas of long grass and wildflowers, bird feeders, dead wood and garden ponds. In addition, we will encourage complementary management by treating groups of gardens not as independent units but instead as patches of interconnected habitat within the urban ecosystem. Maximizing habitat heterogeneity should likewise maximize the biodiversity of urban enviroments.

Although we focus on the biodiversity benefits, the pollinator-friendly landscape projects will also have a positive impact on quality of life and wellbeing.

ARGUE WHY IS THIS SUSTAINABLE. WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC SUSTAINABILITY ASPECTS

In Brazil, the gardens and urban green areas are little exploited in order to attract pollinators. We believe that the main reasons for this pattern are: (i) essential appreciation of aesthetic value of the vegetation; (ii) lack of knowledge by society on the importance of (a) conserving and (b) how to act in the conservation of pollinator populations. Thus, our project is sustainable because aims to engage people with biodiversity by inspiring individuals to take small and simple steps that will have long-term positive impacts in the provision of ecosystem services and human wellbeing. We believe that the implementation and popularization actions of pollinator-friendly gardens can reduce negative impacts on biodiversity, support a broad range of societal benefits, and lay the groundwork for the socio-economic transition to a more sustainable and inclusive model of development.

THE SPECIFIC INNOVATION ASPECTS

• First Brazilian initiative to implement pollinator-friendly landscape projects on a commercial scale

• Focus on the ecological interactions, providing ecosystem services and economic and health benefits

• Pollinator-friendly landscapes can influence social status and property prices

contact us: pol.paisagismo@gmail.com