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Urban ecology research is changing how we view the biological value and ecological importance of cities. Lagging behind this revised image of the city are natural resource management agencies’ urban conservation programs that historically have invested in education and outreach rather than programs designed to achieve high-priority species conservation results. This essay synthesizes research on urban bee species diversity and abundance to suggest how urban conservation can be repositioned to better align with a newly unfolding image of urban landscapes. We argue that pollinators put high-priority and high-impact urban conservation within reach. In a rapidly urbanizing world, transforming how environmental managers view the city can improve citizen engagement while exploring more sustainable practices of urbanization.

Research on urban insect pollinators is changing views on the biological value and ecological importance of cities. The abundance and diversity of native bee species in urban landscapes that are absent in nearby rural lands evidence the biological value and ecological importance of cities and have implications for biodiversity conservation. Lagging behind this revised image of the city are urban conservation programs that historically have invested in education and outreach rather than programs designed to achieve high-priority species conservation results. We synthesized research on urban bee species diversity and abundance to determine how urban conservation could be repositioned to better align with new views on the ecological importance of urban landscapes. Due to insect pollinators’ relatively small functional requirements—habitat range, life cycle, and nesting behavior—relative to larger mammals, we argue that pollinators put high-priority and high-impact urban conservation within reach. In a rapidly urbanizing world, transforming how environmental managers view the city can improve citizen engagement and contribute to the development of more sustainable urbanization.

Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) are critical to crop production globally. In the last decade, significant declines in pollinator health have been documented and it is now widely considered a “crisis.” The potential causes of reduced pollinator health (species richness and abundance) relate to land-use decisions, practices, and management including habitat fragmentation, lack of foraging resources, pesticides, pests, and disease. Recent studies of native bees found diverse communities in cities around the world. This interdisciplinary pilot study investigates relationships between pollinator health and urban land-uses. It joins ecological and social science field research to examine linkages between native pollinator health and socio-cultural drivers of urban land-use decision-making practices to understand (1) what explains findings of diverse bee species in cities and (2) how citizens can encourage the enhancement of habitat for insect pollinator conservation. To establish a baseline for monitoring pollinator diversity and abundance, wild bees were sampled weekly at designated urban farms, community gardens, and prairie pockets located in St. Louis, Missouri, USA from 2013-2015. Ethnographic interviews were conducted in summer 2015 with 30 decision-makers to learn the social dynamics effecting management at the biologically sampled sites. Informants described bees’ role in crop yield, quality, and quantity; reported planting to attract pollinators; and spoke of the city as viable for pollinator habitat, which is relevant to urban conservation and policy. Their conversational evidence paired with images captured at the research sites reveal the rich urban social-ecological tapestry studied, as well as enhance and inform future research approaches.