Urbanization leads to fragmentation of natural pollinator habitat. Fragmentation occurs when pockets of green spaces become isolated from each other because they are surrounded by urban development. These spaces act as ecological sinks, trapping animals and plants because urban development acts as a barrier to their dispersal to other green spaces. Isolated populations of wild species cannot grow because the urban green spaces do not have enough resources to support that growth.
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Urbanization and fragmentation cause declines in local pollinator populations. Bumble bees are among the first species of animals to be negatively affected by human land development partly because roads and buildings take up space where bumble bees need to make their nests.
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The Bee Byway is a pollinator corridor that connects isolated pockets of existing bumble bee and other native bee habitat in existing wild spaces from Huntington Park to NN Park and between Warwick Blvd and the James River. The Bee Byway adds floral resources and bolsters bee habitat in public and private green spaces to guarantee suitable habitat every one-third of a mile along this corridor.
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