Save the bees... build gardens on the rooftops
DEVELOPERS should place roof gardens on new buildings to halt the decline of bees and butterflies.
The Scottish Government yesterday unveiled a ten-year plan to restore a healthy population of indigenous bees, butterflies and hoverflies, whose numbers are dwindling.
Planners will be asked to consider the importance of pollinating insects when constructing new buildings, in the hope more urban greenspace – which allows bees and butterflies to thrive – will be developed.
It is estimated more than half the pollinating insect population in Scotland has disappeared since 1980 due to a range of factors, including increased use of the land where they thrive. The massive decline has led to health and economic concerns due to the insects’ vital role in food production.
About three-quarters of the world’s cultivated crops rely on pollination from insects to grow.
This has an estimated market value benefit of £430million in the UK, of which at least £43million is north of the Border.
The Scottish Government’s Pollinator Strategy will involve the creation of more pollinator-friendly pest control methods and flower-rich habitats. New research into the impact of climate change on bee and butterfly numbers will also be carried out as part of the initiative.
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham – speaking at The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow’s Pollokshields yesterday – said the Government was committed to making Scotland a more ‘pollinator-friendly’ place through the encouragement of more urban greenspace.
However, no obligation will fall onto builders to install rooftop or vertical gardens on buildings.
Miss Cunningham said: ‘Rooftop gardens are a fantastic idea and I don’t think we make enough of them.
‘They are a fantastic thing to encourage. I think, where possible, people need to think about them and planners need to be sympathetic to them.
‘But it isn’t as simple as just putting a load of soil on a roof and then growing things. You’ve actually got to plan it properly and it has to be in the right place.’
Miss Cunningham said pollinators have become taken for granted in society and their crucial role in the food chain needs to be realised.
She added: ‘This isn’t just about how nice they look, it’s about how essential they are in the food chain and to the environment.
‘Pollinators are absolutely fundamental for ensuring the health of crops – if they’re not there, then the food chain starts to falter and we all have a problem.’
The strategy is considered a key project in Biodiversity Scotland’s 2020 road map, which outlines the steps needed to improve the country’s ‘state of nature’.
Its development has been led by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), in partnership with environmental and land management organisations, including the Bee Farmers Association, the National Farmers Union Scotland and Scottish Environment Link.
SNH chairman Mike Cantlay said: ‘Pollination is crucial for our environment – and, therefore, our own health, wealth and wellbeing.
‘This strategy sets out what needs to be done to ensure these bees and insects survive and thrive for generations to come, contributing to healthy ecosystems and landscapes in our country.’
‘Crucial for our environment’