Habitat composition near linear landscape structures across Poland: perspectives on pollinator conservation

Landscape management intensification is a major driver of global decline in insect pollinators and the ecosystem services they provide. Part of the proposed solution is to take advantage of the potential benefits of existing human-made habitats such as linear landscape structures (LLSs) associated with highways verges, railway embankments, or levees. We explored the surrounding landscape composition of different LLSs across Poland using geographic information system (GIS) methodology, examining spatial scales reflecting typical foraging distances of key pollinator groups (bees, butterflies, flies). We found that land cover composition around LLSs closely mirrored the overall national land cover distribution in Poland with right-skewed distributions of tree, grass, crop, and built cover across all LLS types. Highway verges exhibited the highest landscape diversity, while railways and levees showed more similar patterns to each other. Our study revelated that land cover changes occur unidirectionally at the studied scales, suggesting consistent habitat transitions around these linear features. Based on these findings, we propose prioritising two approaches for pollinator conservation in Poland: (1) using levee verges as supplementary habitat in wetland areas due to their lowest traffic level and reduced cost; (2) developing highway verges as a supplementary habitat to support pollinator ecosystem services in farmland and urban landscapes. Since LLSs are managed by relatively few stakeholders, primarily public bodies and government agencies, which provides an opportunity to implement management plans supporting biodiversity and ecosystem services at the national and regional scale.