Canadian boreal restored mining sites sustain diverse pollinator communities, including species of conservation concern

After rehabilitation, mine tailing storage facilities (TSFs) offer potential open habitats for pollinators, particularly bumblebees, complementary to boreal forest ecosystems. This study evaluated pollinator diversity, relative abundance and species composition in TSFs rehabilitated using agronomic and spontaneous revegetation strategies, comparing these to nearby open forest sites after logging as control sites. Six sites, three rehabilitated 8–15 years ago and three control sites logged 5–8 years ago, were surveyed for pollinating insects (bee—hymenoptera, known families of pollinating diptera and coleoptera), focusing on species within the genus Bombus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), a key group of pollinators in northern ecosystems. Rehabilitated TSFs were not found to differ compared to control sites regarding the structure of pollinator communities in terms of abundance, diversity, richness, or evenness. Both agronomic and spontaneous revegetation approaches were found to support similar pollinator communities. These findings suggest that revegetated TSFs can potentially work as interesting habitats for pollinator populations, highlighting their value in ecological restoration. Moreover, Bombus terricola , a species of conservation concern, was flagged as an indicator species for the Barvue sites, both the TSF and the control. This study contributes to the growing evidence that mine rehabilitation can support biodiversity and ecosystem services in boreal landscapes, aligning with global efforts in ecological restoration and pollinator conservation.