NHAI to Develop First of its Kind Bee Corridors or Pollinators across National Highways

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in order to manage sustainable infrastructure development, has announced to unleash a new initiative which is first-of-its-kind, pollinator or bee corridors along National Highways. With a sustainable shift from traditional to ecological plantations, the Bee Corridor will have a continuous linear stretch of bee-friendly vegetation with flowering trees and plants that will ensure the availability of nectar and pollen throughout the year.

These plantations have formed a unique opportunity to conserve pollinator and this initiative will also help in reducing the increasing level of ecological stress faced by honeybees and other pollinators, hampering pollination services, agricultural and horticultural productivity, and overall ecological balance.

This initiative will include a mix of trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses that will retain wild elements by planting nectar- and pollen-rich species, which would allow flowering weeds to bloom, along with dead wood and hollow trunks that are beneficial to pollinators.

Meanwhile, the selection of plant species will ensure staggered flowering across different seasons to maintain a near-continuous blooming cycle throughout the year. Native species of trees and plants, including Neem, Karanj, Mahua, Palash, Bottle Brush, Jamun, and Siris, will be planted along National Highways.

The corridors will be developed along National Highway stretches and other vacant NHAI land parcels while depending upon agro-climatic conditions and local suitability. The field officers of the NHAI would identify National Highway sections where clusters of flowering trees can be planted at intervals of approximately 500 meters to 1 km, corresponding to the average foraging distance of honeybees and wild bees.

While, they will also plan and develop at least three pollinator corridors during 2026–27. NHAI plans to plant around 40 lakh trees along National Highways during the year 2026–27, around 60% of which will be planted under the ‘Bee Corridor’ initiative.