Less than a month before COP15, which will be held in the metropolis in December, the City of Montreal unveiled its pollinator protection plan for the next five years on Wednesday. Montréal intends in particular to increase the area of protected natural environments, reduce the frequency of lawn mowing on city land and carry out ecological inventories of insect populations.
Pollinators are in decline in several regions of the world due to the destruction of habitats and the use of pesticides, but their importance is no longer to be demonstrated since 75% of the main crops depend on their action.
It is in this context that the City has developed a three-part plan to protect them a few weeks before the United Nations conference on biodiversity, which will take place in Montreal from December 7 to 19.
As a first step, Montreal wants to increase from 8% to 10% the areas of protected natural environments on its territory here. The City also intends to develop five ecological corridor projects to connect green spaces.
In order to better protect these insects, Montreal intends to be less diligent in its lawn mowing operations, starting with land that belongs to the city center. “As of next spring, the mowing frequency will decrease. It’s a very simple gesture, but one that helps support ecosystems and pollinators,” explained Valérie Plante.
The City also believes that the regulations on cleanliness and nuisances in force in certain boroughs should be reviewed in order to encourage the planting of flowers and vegetable gardens on the facade, where these are prohibited.
Finally, the City intends to document the population of pollinators in the city in order to better design projects aimed at protecting them. In 2020, researchers had identified 435 species of pollinating insects on the island of Montreal. More than half of this population is made up of bumblebees, native bees and solitary wasps.
For the moment, the City does not intend to regulate the management and the number of hives in Montreal, a file which falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ). The City recognizes, however, that if there are too many honeybees, they can pose a threat to native pollinators.
Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema congratulated Mayor Plante for the plan presented by the City.
The director of the Montreal Insectarium, Maxim Larrivee, believes that the measures of the plan – in which his institution participated – are promising for the protection of pollinators. “We have seen it: when you allow nature to take over, pollinators come. The more we can create, restore and connect habitats in the greater Montreal area, the more biodiversity will increase. »
“We are pleased that the Plante administration is finally honoring the commitment it made four years ago by adopting the motion of Ensemble Montréal for the City of Montreal to develop a strategy to protect pollinators”, for its commented Councilor Stéphanie Valenzuela, Official Opposition spokesperson for the environment. “However, it is a pity to have waited so long and that it took the next COP15 to motivate the administration to present it. »