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	Life Support for Pollinators: Green Infrastructure Redux

by Julian Zelazny
ASNH Environmental Policy Director

Consider what a tremendous service pollinators provide for us. Through their efforts, the simple pleasures of garden tomatoes, fresh fall apples, Halloween pumpkins, and wild flowers are possible. And the truly amazing thing is that we derive the service free of charge! Or do we? The old saw that "there’s no such thing as a free lunch" is also true with regard to nature’s pollination service. The cost to us comes in the form of our responsibility to maintain conditions that allow the pollinators to live healthy, normal lives. Pollinating insects need appropriate habitat to survive. Areas of open space, grassland, forested land, wetland, and undeveloped riparian areas are all important to insects, many of which are key players in plant pollination. These natural areas make up the "green infrastructure" that allow pollinators to exist. What is Green Infrastructure? We first discussed this concept in our January-February issue in an article by Carol Foss. It was again relevant in the May-June issue about eagles. Because the concept addresses issues fundamental to habitat conservation, it will likely be relevant to most of our newsletter topics. Here is one definition that we find useful: Green Infrastructure: the natural life support system upon which all human life and economic activity depends—a network of interconnected lands and waters that supports native plants and animals, maintains natural ecological processes, sustains air and water resources, and contributes to the health and quality of life for human communities. That seems like quite a lot, but the idea is simple. The underlying premises are basic to biology and ecology. Development integrating green infrastructure with the built infrastructure is based upon the notions that all human life and economic activity are dependent upon services provided by natural systems, and development of the land degrades the ability of natural systems to provide these services. Therefore, it is in the best interest of our economic well-being and quality of life to develop lands in ways that minimize degradation of natural systems. Other key concepts are as follows: Every undeveloped site is part of a functioning ecosystem. Development is an intentional intrusion into a functioning ecosystem. There are finite limitations to human use of the earth’s resources and services of ecosystems. The impact of a development is not restricted to the site’s legal boundaries. Habitat for insects is important, but it is not the only important thing provided by green infrastructure. Where you have insect habitat, you also provide a food source for insectivorous animals such as birds and bats. These animals help us to control insect pests such as mosquitoes, black flies, and gypsy moths. Furthermore, when we conserve open space, we provide unpaved surfaces to allow for infiltration of precipitation, which recharges aquifers. Trees serve a multitude of functions when properly integrated into development. They help keep the air clean, mitigate flooding, provide nesting areas for wildlife, and keep developed areas cool in the summer. There are myriad other services provided to us by our green infrastructure, some of which we are probably not even aware. Green Infrastructure in Your Town In our rural areas, we have traditionally had adequate green infrastructure to address all the human needs derived from the ecosystem. However, as our communities become increasingly developed, we need to become more aware of the need to integrate green infrastructure into our planning processes. Similarly, our urban centers can benefit greatly from integration of green infrastructure concepts in city planning. For instance, some U.S. cities have experimented with planting trees on top of high-rise buildings in order to mitigate the local heat effect caused by concrete and asphalt. Tree islands in parking lots also help to keep temperatures down while they provide some area for water infiltration. As we become more aware of our place in ecosystems, we understand the importance of ecological systems to our own welfare. In order to maintain the exceptional quality of life that we enjoy in New Hampshire, it is essential that we plan our development in concert with our natural environment, and keep our insect predators, seed and nutrient dispersers, and our pollinators. More Information To learn more about this exciting concept or to incorporate green infrastructure in your town master plan or building development, call Kate Hartnett at the Minimum Impact Development Partnership at 226-1009.