Who are we?

The Concordia Pollinators Initiative is a student-run group under the Concordia Food Coalition at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec.  We are focused on ensuring the health and abundance of some of our most important agricultural allies - pollinators like bees and butterflies. We aim to support urban pollinators in two ways: by providing urban habitats in the form of solitary bee nests and pollinator-friendly gardens; and by hosting pollinator-related workshops for the Concordia community. 

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What are pollinators? 

A pollinator is any animal that regularly facilitates the transfer of pollen grains from the male parts of one flower to the female parts of another flower of the same species. Some well known pollinators are the honey bee, bumble bee, and the monarch butterfly, however, pollinators are as diverse as the plants they pollinate.

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Why support pollinators?

Pollinators are an extremely important part of a diverse and stable ecosystem - including the ones humans live in. By pollinating flowers as they collect nectar or pollen, pollinators enable the growth of a majority of fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and oils. These products are necessary food sources for many organisms, and without them, most ecosystems would collapse. Likewise, human food systems rely very heavily on pollination to produce much of the food we eat. Supporting pollinators, therefore, promotes more secure, sustainable food systems for other organisms, as well as humans. 

Unfortunately, human activities, among other things, have lead to the decline of bee and butterfly populations. Some would suggest that it is our duty to aid those we have disadvantaged.