biodiversity - Rostock will remain insect-friendly
The Hanseatic City of Rostock will become more insect-friendly. "We want to develop Rostock as a bee- and insect-friendly city," said Senator Ute Fischer-Gaede for Urban Planning. Due to urban densification, green spaces have been pushed back in the past decades. "Our goal is to increase biodiversity on all possible surfaces," said Fischer-Gaede. This can only be achieved by making the city "bloom."
To make this happen, there is an Insect Protection Action Plan, which was adopted by the Rostock Citizens' Assembly in 2021 and contains numerous action recommendations. It builds on a citizens' resolution from 2018, which focuses on improving the situation for honeybees in Rostock.
Insects are not only important building blocks in the food chain, as they provide food for a whole range of species such as birds or mammals, but they are also particularly relevant for pollination, the city added. Besides wild bees, many fly species, butterflies, flies, beetles, and wasps pollinate plants.
Since the city jubilee in 2018, the city reports that flower meadows have been planted by the City Office for City Green, Nature Protection and Cemetery Administration. Initially, these were fields with annual seed mixtures. Now, multi-year planted meadows prevail. The number of flower meadows has already increased successively throughout the entire city area. The wishes of residents were and are taken into account in the selection.
By 2030, 25 percent of the existing city's green spaces are to be developed insect-friendly. In total, this amounts to 2.3 million square meters. These green spaces include parks and green areas, cemeteries, and the green along the streets, as well as the meadow areas maintained by the city.
- In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where Rostock is located, the focus on nature protection is evident, as the city has adopted an Insect Protection Action Plan to increase biodiversity and make Rostock more insect-friendly by 2030, transforming 25% of its green spaces into insect-friendly habitats.
- To ensure the success of this initiative, Senator Ute Fischer-Gaede emphasized the importance of planting and maintaining flower meadows throughout the city, with both annual seed mixtures and multi-year planted meadows currently being deployed.
- By promoting the blooming of urban landscapes, Rostock's Flower Meadow project not only supports insect protection but also contributes to the preservation of biodiversity, providing vital food sources for various insects such as bees, butterflies, and beetles despite the City's urbanization.
