The City of Utrecht Council, in collaboration with the Clear Channel advertising company, has turned 316 bus stops across the city into little bee sanctuaries. This project is a response to the problem of the extinction of bees in Utrecht and the Netherlands.
According to statistics, more than 358 bee species live in the Netherlands, and more than half of them are in the Dutch Red List of threatened species. But the Netherlands is not the only country facing the problem of bee extinction – this is a serious problem for the whole world too. Bees are an integral part of a healthy ecosystem, and scientists even say that the extinction of bees would mean the end of humanity. That’s why such projects are so important.
Each of the bee-friendly stops features a small meadow on the roof where grass and wildflowers are planted. Together, they provide biodiversity in the city, which is good for insects like bees. Green roofs also help to capture fine dust, store rainwater, and provide cooling in hot weather. In addition to the 316 bus stops with green roofs, 96 stops have solar panels. All stops receive LED lighting and have a bamboo seat.
Of course, the bee-friendly stops is not the only measure introduced in Utrecht to provide biodiversity and save threatened bee species. At the end of 2019, the city will also receive a bee-friendly advertising mast with the largest bee hotel in the world. There is also a scheme that allows residents to apply for funding to transform their roofs into bee sanctuaries.
What do you think of these measures? Are they sufficient to stop the extinction of bees?
LOCATION: Utrecht, Netherlands
YEAR: 2019
PHOTOS: Barbra Verbij