Bees in the Fast Lane: Roadsides as Pollinator Havens (Ep. 71)

Roadsides may seem ordinary, but they’re proving to be vital refuges for biodiversity. In landscapes dominated by agriculture, these strips of vegetation offer food, shelter, and safe passage for pollinators like wild bees, butterflies, and moths. By connecting fragmented habitats, they help sustain pollinator populations that, in turn, support crop yields and agricultural resilience.

Today we’re looking at this potential in the Cerrado, a global biodiversity hotspot in Brazil. More than half of its native habitat has been lost to farming, yet roadside areas here can host plant diversity comparable to natural reserves. With 60% of Brazil’s agriculture rooted in the Cerrado, and most crops dependent on pollination, managing these habitats wisely could strengthen both biodiversity and food production.

For additional insight into how roadsides support pollinators, listen to Episode 12 where we discussed research that looked at wildflower strips in agricultural areas in England. 

Dr. Monize Altomare is a plant ecologist at São Paulo State University in Brazil. Her research interests include ecosystem services and the resilience of plant communities and looking into how different ecological functions are maintained or altered in scenarios of environmental change. This is the study we discussed.

Good to know

Monize’s study centered on plants and their pollinators in the Brazilian Cerrado. The Cerrado is the second largest of the country’s major habitat types, after the Amazonian rainforest. It makes up 21% percent of the country’s land area; about 75% of the Cerrado is privately owned. Its conservation status is listed as vulnerable.

Transcript

Jacy: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Bees Knees a podcast wild about native bees. Wild and native bees are under threat worldwide. In each episode, we look at actionable things we can do to support these adorable little guys whose pollination work is crucial for maintaining biodiversity. I’m Jacy Meyer and I thank you for being here.

What if the roads we drive every day were more than just concrete paths cutting through the landscape? What if they were lifelines for bees, butterflies, and the crops we depend on? In today’s episode, we’re heading to the Brazilian Cerrado, one of the world’s most biodiverse Savannahs, to explore an intriguing idea.

Roadsides as Pollinator Havens Monize Altomare conducted a study that found roadside vegetation can support diverse pollination systems. Let’s head to Brazil. [00:01:00] So first set the scene for us. Can you describe the landscape that you studied?

Monize: Sure. So the Brazilian Cerrado is this huge tropical savanna in central Brazil and actually is the most biodiverse savanna in the world.

And people sometimes imagine it as just a dry grassland, but it’s much more complex than that. Uh, the Cerrado includes a whole mosaic of landscapes with open grasslands, typical savannas with scattered trees, and even more forested areas. But in my research I focus on one particular vegetation type called, and this is kind of the classic Cerrado that people picture.

Um, open savanna or shrubs and small twisted trees, and a very rich layer of herbs and grass. And I can say it’s a super diverse and unique environment, [00:02:00] which plays a huge role in supporting local biodiversity and ecosystem functions.

Jacy: So then what inspired you to look at the roadsides as potential pollinator habitats?

Monize: Well, the idea actually came from an early study that looked at these roadside areas and show it that roadside vegetation can support up to 70% of the plant species found in well preserved Cerrado sites. And that really got my attention because it show that these places are much more valuable than people usually think.

And during my PhD I was already studying these roadside vegetation and their ecological services, and in one of my studies I mapped out how much native vegetation is still exists along roads, and it turned out to be much more than we expected. We also realized that in many agriculture [00:03:00] regions, these road verges are actually the only remaining patch of native vegetation.

So after talking with colleagues who work specifically with pollination, we started wondering if these areas can hold so much plant diversity, could they also support pollinators? And that’s really how the idea for this study came together.

Jacy: So you found that there was only a 7% drop in bee pollination alongside the roadsides compared to the preserved areas.

Were you surprised by that?

Monize: Uh, yes, uh, we were really surprised, but actually what we found was about a 7% reduction in the number of plant species that are pollinated by bees. When we compare to preserved Cerrado areas , and honestly, we expected the difference to be much bigger because roadsides are much more disturbed than protect [00:04:00] areas.

But even if these disturbances, these areas still support a large number of native plants. So I can say from a functional perspective, road verges can still provide meaningful resources for pollinators, especially for bees.

Jacy: So in the study you found that there were these 24 native roadside plants that really helped pollinate crops in the area, coffee soybeans.

Why does knowing which plants are there matter when looking at the effectiveness of roadsides?

Monize: Well, first of all, I think it help us understand which plants offer nectar, pollen, or even safe forging spots for the bees that later would visit crops like coffee and soybeans. And this is especially important in the Cerrado where farming areas are huge [00:05:00] and where natural habitats are really fragmented.

Uh, bees moving through these landscapes depend on small patches of native plants, to refuel, and survive. So identifying which specific species are doing that job. Give us much clearer picture of how pollination works in real agriculture landscapes. And second reason is that once we know who these standout plant species are, we can make much better decisions on management and restoration.

If a government agency or a farm wants to restore roadside vegetation, they can focus on planting or protecting these specific native species that we know will benefit pollinators. And I think it’s a good example of how to connect conservation with agriculture.

Jacy: So how does something like the verge width or the plant choice actually [00:06:00] influence the pollinator activity in these areas?

Monize: I think both verge width and plant choice can make a big difference for pollinators because wider road verges usually mean more space, uh, less edge effect, and a more stable habitat so they can support a greater diversity of plants and naturally attract more types of pollinators. But I believe that plant choice is even more important if the vegetation includes a good mix of native nectar, rich and pollen rich species.

It creates a kind of buffet for bees and other pollinators throughout the year. But if the verge is dominated by just a few grasses or non-native species that don’t offer good thorough resources, then uh, pollinator activity will drop. So in simple terms, we can say wider verges give [00:07:00] more room for life and better plant choices, give better food.

So when both come together, pollinators are much more likely to use and move through these areas.

Jacy: So in all your time working with bees, what’s one discovery that made you feel like a bee hero? Like you were really making a difference?

Monize: Well, the funny thing is that I don’t actually study bees directly. I am a plant ecologist.

But what really makes me proud is realizing that by studying plants, I can still help expand what we know about bees and pollinators. And it’s like I’m helping the bees indirectly from the plant side of things and publishing this paper that here talking about, uh, was a, a big achievement for me because it felt like an important, uh, step for science.

Because it showed that these overlooked areas can still play a [00:08:00] role in supporting pollinators. But it also reaches people outside academia, which was really exciting. And being invited to this podcast, for example, made me realize that the impact of this study actually went beyond the academic bubble.

And I hope in the future, even decision makers can use these findings to help pollinators and to help us have the conservation.

Jacy: This conversation reminds us that conservation doesn’t always require vast, untouched reserves. It can happen in the overlooked spaces right beside us. Roadsides in the Brazilian Cerrado aren’t just supporting pollinator diversity.

They’re strengthening the very agricultural systems we rely on. What I loved about Monize’s research is that it encourages us to take a closer look at hidden habitats in our own communities. What margins or edges could be reimagined as corridors brimming [00:09:00] with pollinator life? If managed thoughtfully, they can connect biodiversity with human wellbeing in powerful ways.

Thanks so much for listening today. I appreciate you being here. Until next time, look for the overlooked.