In a first, NHAI plans ‘bee corridors’ along national highways

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has unveiled an ambitious plan to create dedicated “bee corridors” along India’s national highways, signaling a major shift from ornamental roadside plantations to ecologically driven landscaping.

The initiative aims to establish continuous linear stretches of bee-friendly vegetation featuring carefully selected flowering trees and plants. Unlike traditional decorative plantings, the new corridors will be designed to provide year-round nectar and pollen, ensuring sustained food sources for pollinators.

According to an official statement, depending upon agro-climatic conditions and local suitability, such corridors would be developed along NH stretches and other vacant NHAI land parcels. NHAI field offices across the country will identify sections where clusters of flowering trees can be planted at intervals of approximately 500 metres to 1 km, corresponding to the average foraging distance of honeybees and wild bees. NHAI field offices will also plan and develop at least three pollinator corridors during 2026–27. The NHAI plans to plant around 40 lakh trees along NHs during the year 2026–27, around 60 per cent of which will be planted under the ‘bee corridor’ initiative.

The NHAI will align its plantation activities towards the creation of dedicated pollinator or ‘bee corridors’. The unique initiative will include a mix of trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses that will retain wild elements by planting nectar and pollen-rich species, allowing flowering weeds to bloom, along with dead wood and hollow trunks that are beneficial to pollinators. 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 NHs.

Plantations along NHs present a unique opportunity to support pollinator conservation. The initiative will help reduce the increasing ecological stress faced by honeybees and other pollinators, which is adversely impacting pollination services, agricultural and horticultural productivity, and overall ecological balance.