Context: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced India’s first dedicated ‘Bee Corridors’ along National Highways.
About Bee Corridors:
What it is?
- ‘Bee Corridors’ are linear stretches of pollinator-friendly vegetation developed along National Highways.
- They will consist of flowering trees and plants that provide year-round nectar and pollen support to honeybees and other pollinators.
Aim: To reduce ecological stress on pollinators and ensure sustained availability of nectar sources, thereby strengthening agricultural productivity and ecological balance through climate-sensitive highway plantation planning.
Key Features:
- Native, Nectar-Rich Plantation Mix: Includes species like Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Jamun and Siris to support biodiversity.
- Staggered Blooming Cycle: Ensures near-continuous flowering across seasons to maintain pollinator food supply.
- Strategic Spacing Along Highways: Flowering clusters planted every 500 m–1 km, aligned with average bee foraging distance.
Significance:
- Enhances Ecological Services: Strengthens pollination critical for agriculture and horticulture.
- Promotes Sustainable Infrastructure: Integrates biodiversity conservation into highway development.
Relevance in UPSC Syllabus
- GS Paper III – Environment & Ecology
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- Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.
- Climate-resilient infrastructure development.
- Sustainable land-use planning and green corridors.
- GS Paper III – Agriculture
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- Role of pollinators in crop productivity and food security.
- Essay / Ethics
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- Balancing development with ecological responsibility.
- Sustainable growth models in public policy.
