Norway Has Built A 'Highway' For Bees

It's well-known that bees and their process of pollination play an important part in global food production, and scientists have been concerned for years about the rapidly decreasing numbers of bee populations. So, one environmental group in Norway has done something a bit unique to help address the problem. They have built what is called the world's first highway for bees in the capital city of Oslo. It's not typical highway like you'd picture in your mind, but rather a series of safe spots on rooftops that allow bees to move through the city.

Each "rest stop" features plenty of flowers and shelter, allowing bees to essentially move along the path and have access to food. The initiative has been the result of a joint-effort between state bodies, companies, and even private homeowners, all offering up space on their rooftops.

The group even offers an interactive map on the website polli.no, displaying the "highway" and its branching paths. New partners are even welcome to join in and expand the route, all they need to do is offer up some roof space.

The group's head, Agnes Lyche Melvaer, says that as humans continue to reshape the environment for our needs and benefits, other species still need spaces to survive. One way to address this, as the bee highway demonstrates, is to offer up a place in return for them to feed and live.

There's still no hard data that Oslo's bee highway is making a positive contribution to local bee populations, and biologists believe there needs to be significant changes that move away from intensive agriculture in order to restore bee numbers. However, offering the bees safe passage through a city environment certainly can't hurt.

SOURCE The Guardian

VIA Gizmodo