1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Berlin (FUA)
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Mehr Bienen für Berln - Berlin blüht auf
Short description of the intervention
Mehr Bienen für Berln - Berlin blüht auf is a project that aims to provide an example of how public green spaces can be upgraded to be pollinator-friendly, thus creating urban habitats for wild bees and other insect species (Ref. 4). The project was implemented by the German Wildlife Foundation in cooperation with the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment and other stakeholders, in all 12 Berlin districts, whereby the districts support the allocation of the exact location for the NBS (Ref. 3; Ref. 4). Measures for each location are compiled based on the specific surroundings, use and existing vegetation with a low mowing frequency in all areas (Ref. 2; Ref. 4). Most of the areas are road median strips, roundabouts, designated areas in parks or residual commercial areas (Ref. 4). After the first phase (2018-2022), the project has now entered its second phase (2023-2025) and was renamed to “Mehr Bienen in Berlin - Aus Grün wird Bunt” (engl.: More bees in Berlin - from green to colourful) (Ref. 3). The main goals are to reach a minimum of 100 flowering areas in 2025, to halt the sharp decline in bees and other insects, and to inspire citizens to protect wild bees (Ref. 1,2, 3). The project has so far limited acceptance among the population, as the areas are regarded as unkempt due to the low mowing frequency. Public relations work, like the installation of information signs next to the areas, is intended to increase understanding among the public (Ref. 4).
Website of the intervention
https://www.wildbiene.org/projekte-in-berlin
Principal problems
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Continental (Cold-summer humid continental, Cold-winter dry continental, Cold-summer dry continental)
Ecosystem
Urban or built environment
Address

Barbarossaplatz
10781 Berlin
Germany

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Area boundary (map-based)
Total area
43000.00m²
NBS area
43000.00m²
Area description
Urban (main city)
Other urban area outside city center (e.g. another municipality in the FUA, commuting zone)
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Previous derelict area
Residential
Public Greenspace Area
Central Business District / City Centre
Mixed-use development (combination of residential, commercial, and/or industrial)
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2018
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2018
End date of the intervention
2025
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The project aims:
to increase biodiversity by restoring green spaces for bees and other pollinating insects (Ref. 2),
to attract a diverse set of pollinating insects and plant a diverse set of native plant species (Ref. 2),
to increase number of flowering areas in Berlin to a total minimum of 100 (Ref. 3),
to raise awareness for biodiversity and bees through environmental education and intense information campaign (Ref. 6),
to enhance public open spaces and other private open spaces for wild bees and other pollinators (habitats and food supply) (Ref. 4; Ref. 6).
Key Priorities
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Genetic-focused
Species-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore native species
Restore valued species
Restore endangered species
Public engagement
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
The German Wildlife Foundation is responsible for implementing and evaluating the project, managing public relations, organizing environmental education workshops, and training district employees and maintenance staff. (Ref.2, Ref.3, Ref.4) Key initiatives include restoring urban green spaces, building insect hotels for pollinators, promoting diverse plant species and restoring a diverse set of plants to create food supply for pollinating insects (Ref.1, Ref.2). A public media campaign will advocate for species-rich meadows and less-mowed areas. The project also involves creating educational materials for schools, raising local awareness through workshops, and testing project measures for effectiveness and cost (Ref.2, Ref.4) including testing and evaluation of measures developed throughout the project in close cooperation with the green space management of the districts about their practicability, costs and effectiveness for pollinating insects (Ref. 6). Ongoing monitoring and maintenance will assess vegetation and bee populations, and address urban plant suitability in extreme conditions.(Ref.6)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Creation of any other green urban spaces
Protection of natural ecosystems
Habitat restoration
Creating nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, or biodiversity hotspots to conserve unique ecosystems
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Educational and awareness raising programs
Strategy, plan or policy development
Implementation of city-wide or neighborhood initiatives focused on biodiverity protection (e.g. bee-friendly initiatives, butterfly protection, "Spring cleaning")
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Habitat mapping, restoration and monitoring-focused management
Species-specific monitoring and conservation programs
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Institutional green space
Other
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Please specify "other urban green space connected to grey infrastructure"
Residual commercial space (Ref. 4), Insect hotels for pollinators (Ref. 1,2)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Design elements for well-being
Olfactory elements (e.g., floral scents, earthy smells)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Pollination
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Maintenance of genetic diversity
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Unknown
Socio-economic profile of the area
Unknown
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Primary Beneficiaries
Unknown
Specify primary beneficiaries
Unknown
Marginalized groups
Unknown
Other beneficiaries
Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)
Native plant vegetation
Endangered species (flora and fauna)
Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The project is implemented by the German Wildlife Foundation (Deutsche Wildtierstiftung) in cooperation with the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (Ref. 3).
The Senate Department is financing the project (Ref. 2; Ref. 6).
The German Wildlife Foundation is responsible for the main actions of implementations (Ref. 2; Ref. 3; Ref. 4). The choice of project areas is done in cooperation between the German Wildlife Foundation and the districts of Berlin (Ref. 2; ).
Additionally, larger property owners like housing associations, and private actors such as Deutsche Bahn, Berliner Wasserbetriebe, and Rahaus have joined the project, offering their land. (Ref.4)
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
District/neighbourhood association
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Private Sector
Private transport companies: railway, bus, airports
Local businesses (e.g. stores, restaurants)
Land owners
Private sector or company
Public space owned by the city
Utility company
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
Strategy for the protection and promotion of bees and other pollinators in Berlin; it is not specified whether the strategy works on a regional or local level (Berlin is both city and state at the same time) (Ref. 1; Ref. 6).
Relevant strategy or plan
Biodiversity strategy or plan
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Mandatory (based on policy)
Intervention is mandatory
Environmental regulation
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships)
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
Governance innovation: The city is funding the project and is co-planning with districts and engaging several unconventional stakeholders for their land : The project was implemented by the German Wildlife Foundation in cooperation with the Berlin Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment and other stakeholders, in all 12 Berlin districts, whereby the districts support the allocation of the exact location for the NBS (Ref. 3; Ref. 4).






Governace and decison-making instruments
Strategic instruments (e.g. GI strategies, green space strategy or plans)
Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Capacity-building initiatives for governance actors (e.g. training workshops for local government officials/ community leaders)
Performance monitoring and evaluation frameworks (e.g. adoption of KPIs, or establishment or monitoring and evaluation processes)
Barriers
The acceptance by the public society was low due to the visual dislike of the NBS (non-cut green spaces look neglected) and extreme weather (heat) increased the maintenance costs and fostered the neglected look of areas as plants took longer to properly grow (Ref. 4).
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
The total costs of the NBS are not specified. The costs for planting the areas amount to 6 euros per square metre and for maintenance in the first year to 15 euros per square metre. The costs for subsequent years are estimated at 4-5 euros per square metre. (Ref. 4)
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
n/a
Source(s) of funding
Public regional budget
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Yes
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Type of non-financial contribution
Provision of land
Provision of labour
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Unknown
Business models
Business models
Green densification model
Urban offsetting model (biodiversity or water)
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Expected increased green space area
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Expected increased number of species present
Increased presence and recovery of wild species
Achieved increased presence and recovery of wild species
Increased protection of threatened species
Achieved increased protection of threatened species
Expected increased protection of threatened species
Enhanced support of pollination
Achieved enhanced support of pollination
Expected enhanced support of pollination
Restoration of derelict areas
Achieved restoration of derelict areas
Expected restoration of derelict areas
Description of environmental benefits
Expected increased green space area: "The number of flowering areas will be increased to at least 100 in all Berlin districts." (Ref. 3)

Achieved increased number of species present: "Experts have already identified 157 wild bee species in 15 exemplary project areas, 65 per cent of the species currently found in Berlin" (Ref. 3)

Achieved increased presence and recovery of wild species: "Out of the approx. 240 wild bee species currently found in Berlin, 43% were found in our areas in one year alone. [...] A detailed evaluation shows that the flowering areas thus fulfil a very important function in the promotion and protection of wild bees in Berlin" (Ref. 6)

Achieved and expected increased protection of threatened species: "We have already recorded 170 wild bee species in our project areas, eleven of which are listed as endangered on the German Red List of Bees." (Ref. 2)

Achieved enhanced support of pollination: "The composition of the plant species in the flower mixture also fulfils its purpose, as 22 oligolectic (specialized) bee species have been identified. The majority of these use the plant species in the flower mixture for pollen uptake." (Ref. 6)

Restoration of derelict areas: "As of May 2022, a total of 71 flowering areas totaling around 43,000 square meters had been created." (Ref. 6)

Environmental impact indicators
Total number of bird species re-introduced, rediscovered or monitored
157 wild bee species monitored
Total area of habitat restored (in ha)
43.000 squaremetres (2022)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Education
Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Expected increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Description of social and cultural benefits
Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature & awareness of NBS and their benefits: "These active species conservation measures are accompanied by educational work to improve awareness and knowledge of wild bee conservation among the population. The aim is to show citizens how they themselves can do something to promote these important pollinators." (Ref. 5)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts
Non-government organisation/civil society
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Type of indicators
Output indicators
Outcome indicators
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
Yes
Link to a web-based monitoring tool
https://www.wildbiene.org/projekte-in-berlin
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Yes
Transparency
Other
Please specify other means of ensuring transparency
Providing a map of the different locations where the NBS has been implemented and information on restored area for pollinators. (Ref. 2)
Justice
Community satisfaction
Unknown
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
In the beginning, one problem was the lack of acceptance among the population, as the areas are generally regarded as unkempt due to the low mowing frequency. How this has changed is not further stated. (Ref. 4)
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Lack of social acceptance
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
No initiatives or policies were implemented
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.
Reaching original project goals
Most of the project goals were achieved
Please specify the achievements of the project goals
Environmental Goals:
- species protection and increase biodiversity in urban area (Ref. 2): "Experts have already identified 157 wild bee species in 15 exemplary project areas, 65 per cent of the species currently found in Berlin" (Ref. 3)
"Out of the approx. 240 wild bee species currently found in Berlin, 43% were found in our areas in one year alone. [...] A detailed evaluation shows that the flowering areas thus fulfil a very important function in the promotion and protection of wild bees in Berlin" (Ref. 6)
"We have already recorded 170 wild bee species in our project areas, eleven of which are listed as endangered on the German Red List of Bees." (Ref. 2)
- increase number of flowering areas in Berlin to a total minimum of 100 (Ref. 3) & enhancement of public open spaces and other private open spaces for wild bees and other pollinators (habitats and food supply) (Ref. 4; Ref. 6): "As of May 2022, a total of 71 flowering areas totaling around 43,000 square meters had been created." (Ref. 6)
Educational Goals:
- raise awareness for biodiversity and bees through environmental education and intense information campaign (Ref. 6): "These active species conservation measures are accompanied by educational work to improve awareness and knowledge of wild bee conservation among the population. The aim is to show citizens how they themselves can do something to promote these important pollinators." (Ref. 5)
Long-term perspective
Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability.
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
C. Unknown
Transformative capacity
Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)
Magnitude of change
Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (n.d.). Bestäuber im Fokus. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
German Wildlife Foundation (n.d.). Wildbienen in Berlin. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and Environment (n.d.). Mehr Bienen für Berlin - aus Grün wird Bunt!. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Prof. Dr. Kühn, N., Trapp, L. & von Vietinghoff, J. (n.d.). Bienen Hotspot Berlin. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Gazette Schöneberg & Friedenau (n.d.). Mehr Bienen für Berlin - Berlin blüht auf!. Accessed on August 1, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
House of Representatives Berlin (2022). Schriftliche Anfrage des Abgeordneten Dr. Turgut Altuğ (GRÜNE). Accessed on August 2, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Comments
Reference 3 links to a project report from 2018-2022, but the link doesn't work, and the report is not provided by the other references or found on other platforms.
Public Images
Altonaer Straße in Berlin
Flowered space at Altonaer Straße in Berlin
Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung
Nelly Sachs Park in Berlin
Flowering space at the Nelly Sachs Park in Berlin
Deutsche Wildtier Stiftung