WHY DID THE BEE CROSS THE ROAD?
What is the project about?
The growing population density in urban areas and their reliance on grey infrastructure have produced community-scale vulnerabilities to flooding while jeopardizing local biodiversity through reduced habitat accessibility. Metro Vancouver’s population has increased 31 percent from 2002-to 2022, causing increased urban development rates that ultimately cause landscape degradation and habitat fragmentation.
Pollinator populations are also declining because of increasing urbanization, producing a subsequent decrease in the many ecosystem services they provide. To support the needs of local human and pollinator populations in the face of these events, we hope to use mindful community design to produce a mutually beneficial solution through this project.
Objectives
To address the identified issues, we will assess the benefits of implementing green rainwater infrastructure strategies to develop a pollinator pathway, to improve biodiversity at a neighborhood scale. This project focuses on enhancing biodiversity by improving the functionality of seven Bioretention bulges along the East 45th Avenue bikeway in Vancouver’s southeast end. By redesigning these bulges with new vegetation to facilitate better rainwater infiltration, we can both increase the quantity of native and non-native plant species and facilitate connectivity for more pollinators to use these bulges for foraging and nesting.
RESEARCH POSTERS
