We have plenty of helpers working alongside us on site to keep our environment healthy and thriving. Although they don’t wear uniforms, they still put in the hours, plant by plant. That’s right, from bees and butterflies to beetles, birds and bats, we have many pollinators working alongside us, playing a vital role in supporting our environment.Â
And because of all their hard work, it’s increasingly important we take the time to raise awareness and celebrate them. Pollinator Week is an annual awareness campaign that reminds us to shine a light on the crucial role pollinators play in food security, biodiversity, and healthy ecosystems. Australia is home to some of the most unique and endemic plant life on Earth, and our pollinators work to keep them healthy. From providing essential food sources to supporting healthy wildlife habitats, they are the ones doing the unseen work that makes a real difference to our environment.
This Pollinator Week, we’re recognising the mighty helpers that keep our landscapes thriving and the importance of creating and maintaining spaces where they thrive.
Landscapes That Support Pollinators
Supporting pollinators through maintenance means understanding when and how work should take place. Much of this decision making happens behind the scenes, where seemingly small decisions are the most important. Because a thoughtfully planned and maintained landscape can offer more than just aesthetic value. With the right planting choices and management practices, parks, gardens and open spaces can provide valuable food sources and habitat for local pollinators!
From choosing the right plants to picking the right irrigation method, the planning process behind creating a landscape that is sustainable for our local helpers is extremely important.
Just like humans, different pollinators have different diets. Choosing a healthy and diverse mix of flowering plants when creating a landscape or open space provides a variety of nectar and pollen sources. Native plants can also add value, offering important resources for local pollinators that have evolved alongside them.Â
Habitat corridors can act as a mapping guide for bees and other smaller pollinators, helping them travel across urban and suburban areas. So when designing the layout, the placement of garden beds, hedgerows and nature strips are crucial, as we wouldn’t want our little visitors buzzing around in circles!
Once all the planning is complete and a landscape has come to life, it’s also just as important to keep an eye on how it’s maintained.
When a space isn’t properly maintained, it can affect plant health, compromise safety, and reduce the area’s overall visual appeal. Improper maintenance can lead to overgrown vegetation, invite pests and diseases, and cause drainage and erosion issues, all of which cause a negative impact for the wildlife that relies on the space.Â
For example, poorly timed maintenance practices can remove vegetation or interrupt flower blooming before pollinators have had the opportunity to access these food sources. Similarly, unmanaged invasive weeds can compete with native plants, while excessive clearing can reduce important shelter and nesting opportunities.
These are just some examples of how thoughtful maintenance practices and planning can make a difference to the health of our managed spaces and the fauna they support.
Protecting Pollinator Habitats
Beyond just food sources, pollinators also need suitable places to nest, shelter and breed. Habitat loss, fragmentation, invasive weeds and environmental disturbance can all affect the availability and quality of these environments.
This is where ecological management plays an important role. Our Ecology team works to protect, restore and enhance natural areas through services such as bush regeneration, revegetation, weed management, habitat creation and wetland restoration.
These practices can help re-establish native vegetation, improve habitat opportunities and support biodiversity. For example, revegetation can strengthen ecological corridors between natural areas, while creating habitats like nest boxes and rockeries support local fauna.Â
By considering ecological values in the way we maintain spaces, and applying specialist knowledge to natural areas, we can help create landscapes that provide pollinators and all relying habitat a healthy place to live
From public parks and sporting facilities to commercial landscapes and bushland, every site has its own opportunities and challenges. At Solutions+, we are proud to implement a considered approach to each site we take on, having ecology and maintenance work hand in hand to create and support healthier environments. Â
