Pollination services link society with ecology As
people fashion places, so, too, do they fashion themselves; filling places with
meanings to exemplify and maintain order of how things should be. These
conservation meanings help us to answer the question: why do we hold on to what
we like about the past? For most
people, cultural history begins with when they newly arrive in a neighbourhood
as economic migrants. However, people
only have to look back a few decades to
see the cultural history of their neighbourhood really began as a farmed
landscape. Ecology framed the life of
agriculturalists who first claimed the land that urbanization subsequently
fragmented into impoverished wildlife islands.
Urban conservation of cultural history is not simply a matter of
caring for buildings but also involves devoting time to
restoring/augmenting the biodiversity of the pockets of green space around and between
homes and the material infrastructure that serves them. In 2011 Carolin Mayer and her co authors published a framework for research into pollination ecology consisting of 86 questions for scientists to answer. Their comprehensive scientific analysis also had the aim of stimulating an awareness of the importance of pollinators and pollination as an ecosystem service to the wider public. This broader societal objective was highlighted by Jacobus Beismeijer and his colleagues in their review of Mayer's work. In particular, they clarified the role that research into pollination can play as an aspect of cultural history, which can answer both ecological and societal questions. It is in the latter context that this web site has been created with the objective of presenting a strategic framework for the direct involvement of citizens in the conservation of urban pollinators. As a call for action the site presents ideas and methods that combine conservation of pollinators with gardening. A complementary objective is to encourage householders throughout Wales to become citizen scientists, using social media to network their ideas and observations about pollinator diversity in their neighbourhood. This site can also function as a template for stakeholders to develop a citizen's solidarity network to address any kind of community issue.  The Nectar Point Network is a project of RESILIENCE-UK Send comments to corixus@gmail.com Twitter https://twitter.com/zygeena
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