Native Pollinator Garden Restoration Design for Establishing a Native Pollinator Garden at the University of Victoria

"Universities are in a unique and promising position for not only restoring natural areas among their campus’, but to also engage a broader, intergenerational audience in a continued commitment to restoration projects over long temporal scales. UVic, specifically, has a long history of student engagement with restoration through its environmental studies department. In 2003, UVic developed a campus plan, which placed specific sites under moratorium or explicitly denoted them as green spaces and natural areas; however, this agreement was part of a 10-year plan that is subject to review in Fall of 2013. As such, and in recognition of UVic’s restorative traditions, developing robust restoration projects in consideration of future campus plans is necessary to ensure a mosaic of vibrant natural areas throughout UVic’s campus. Our policy is intended to provide UVic with an exceptional opportunity to nurture natural, educational, and community engagement through the restoration of native vegetation and native pollinator species on campus. Following frameworks provided by the Society for Ecological Restoration, this project has included principles, which meet the indicators of successful restoration attributes. By focusing on two main pollinator groups (ground nesting bees and cavity nesting bees) and their habitat needs, the achievement potential for effective, engaging, and efficient restoration outcomes is elevated.

In consideration of the social and political realities today, we acknowledge this project is situated on the territory of Lekwungen people, members of the Coast and Straights Salish indigenous groups. In that acknowledgement, this project is designed to encourage meaningful collaboration with First Nations groups on campus through communication with the Office of Indigenous Affairs at UVic. "

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