POTENTIAL OF URBAN GREEN ROOFS AS A HABITAT FOR BEES

Abstract

The intense development and urbanization of the cities last decades significantly influenced on increase of pollution and formation of urban heat islands. Further, the rapid urbanization impacted on decrease of green areas in cities. Looking at the data of development for Belgrade, Serbia, in a period from 2016 to 2020, the square meters of built space increased 350%. Furthermore, Serbia has 2.910^8 square meters of dwellings build before 2011, which means that the thermal properties of the buildings’ envelope were much lower than it is now recommended. Moreover, with a intense urbanization, the number of bee population significantly decreased. All these issues represent a high potential for the refurbishment of buildings using green systems, either the green roofs or together green roofs and green facades. Different types of green roofs and facades are considered to be a good habitats for bees in urban areas, and a lot of cities worldwide recognized this potential. Serbia has a great potential for developing the green roofs at the top of the existing buildings, which need refurbishment, since the majority of these buildings has an optimal height for the bees habitat, up to eight floors. This concept is beneficial in many directions: contribution to energy efficiency and better indoor environmental quality, decrease of urban heat islands, decrease of urban pollution, increase of number of green areas in cities and in the same time saving of bee population in urban areas.