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Citizen science data reveals the need for keeping garden plant recommendations up-to-date to help pollinators

Biology

Citizen science data reveals the need for keeping garden plant recommendations up-to-date to help pollinators

H. B. Anderson, A. Robinson, et al.

A groundbreaking study led by Helen B. Anderson and colleagues reveals the inadequacies of current pollinator-friendly plant recommendations in urban areas, based on UK-wide citizen science data from BeeWatch. With significant discrepancies identified, the authors emphasize the need for dynamic, species-specific planting strategies to bolster pollinator conservation efforts.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Declining pollinator insect populations have prompted recommendations for pollinator-friendly plants in urban areas. This study uses data from a UK-wide citizen science program (BeeWatch) to assess the accuracy of these recommendations. Comparison of practitioner recommendations (465 pollinator-friendly and 376 bumblebee-friendly plants from 23 sources) with BeeWatch records (334 plants) revealed low correlation (r=0.57 for bumblebees, r=0.52 for pollinators). The study highlights the lack of specificity in recommendations, failing to account for the diverse food plant preferences of different bumblebee species. The authors advocate for dynamic planting recommendations based on live citizen science data, specific to pollinator species, to improve pollinator conservation efforts.
Publisher
Scientific Reports
Published On
Nov 24, 2020
Authors
Helen B. Anderson, Annie Robinson, Advaith Siddharthan, Nirwan Sharma, Helen Bostock, Andrew Salisbury, Stuart Roberts, René van der Wal
Tags
pollinators
bumblebees
conservation
urban planting
citizen science

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