Authors: Gardiner, Mary;

Although we see rapid urbanization occurring across the globe, over 400 cities worldwide have lost substantial population. These “shrinking cities” are tasked with demolishing an overabundance of unneeded infrastructure, creating parcels of vacant land. A recent focus on vacant land as a conservation target is justifiable as many rare or declining bee species have been documented within these urban greenspaces. In fact, a remarkable 20% of Ohio’s (USA) bee fauna have been collected from urban vacant lots. However, for pollinator conservation to succeed long term, far greater consideration for the humans in urban ecosystems must be made. In our experience, conservation potential is difficult to achieve when conservation goals, aesthetics, and safety concerns are not shared or communicated between city residents and conservation practitioners. Likewise, from a bee ecology perspective, many questions remain unresolved regarding optimal design and management practices for pollinator habitats in cities. This presentation will discuss these challenges to urban bees and suggest ways to advance effective pollinator conservation paired with the delivery of cultural ecosystems services within vacant land and other forms of public greenspace.