Meadows on the Otaniemi campus
The campus has several meadow areas.
Pollinators – tiny helpers in the work for biodiversity
Bee-assisted biomonitoring has begun on the Otaniemi campus. Its aim is to gather information about the current state of the area's biodiversity and to enable better support for biodiversity in the future.
Pollinators are vital to the functioning of the entire ecosystem. Their importance for plant reproduction, crop formation and also human food production is irreplaceable. However, pollinator populations have collapsed in many places due to, among other things, the loss of habitats.
Creating and maintaining pollinator-friendly habitats is a key measure to safeguard biodiversity and the functioning of the entire ecosystem. On campus, this has been taken into account by providing nesting sites for wild pollinators, for example, through silvicultural measures that leave standing stumps and fallen trees in the terrain, as well as rotten wood of different ages and varying tree species. In addition, a wide variety of plants supports the characteristics of different pollinators (for example, depending on tongue length). The variety uses both pioneer species and slower-developing plants, and species that flower at different times. In addition, for example, the timing and frequency of mowing meadow areas is regulated so that flowering plants have enough time to produce seeds and provide food.
Bees as sample collectors
Bee-assisted biomonitoring is being carried out on the Otaniemi campus: a bee tower has been brought to the campus, populated by native bees. While the bees gather food within a radius of approximately 600-800 meters from their nest site, they carry a large amount of DNA material from the surrounding nature to the nest.
The samples collected during the summer will be analyzed in the laboratory, and the data produced will allow us to monitor the development of pollinator food plant diversity on campus. In addition, the research will enable the monitoring of invasive and endangered species.
The results can be used to make concrete proposals, for example, about what plants should be planted in the area and otherwise help guide measures in a direction that better takes into account the needs of pollinators. In addition to research, the pollinators contribute to the field by pollinating plants in meadows, for example, which means they produce better seeds and the meadows remain vibrant with less effort.
After the summer, the residents of the campus beehive tower will move on to other nesting sites in the surrounding area and enrich the local pollinator population. This is why it is important that, for example, decaying trees and other nesting sites are left in the campus nature.
This project is a collaboration between the City of Espoo, Senate Properties, and the HumbleBee Housing Project - because bees, after all, don’t care about property lines.
Listen below to what happens in the beehive
The audio track features Aapo Reuters from HumbleBee Housing Project, Hannes Helminen from Senate Properties and Minttu Somervuori from ACRE.
Campus for people, plants and pollinators
The Otaniemi campus nature is managed with respect to biodiversity and the characteristic species of habitats.
Campus forests as enablers of biodiversity and natural cycle
The diversity of Otaniemi's forests provides a good habitat for different species. Decaying wood also plays an important role in the natural cycle. Decayed wood is found in almost all forests on campus.
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