NS — Nidificazione Artificiale

Biodiversityv06.00 credits/per_km2

Responsible:Niccolò Calandri

NS — Artificial Nesting

Overview

The NS — Artificial Nesting sub-indicator measures habitat suitability for pollinators that nest in artificial structures. This group includes opportunistic species such as Osmia cornuta, Osmia bicornis, some Megachile, and Anthidium, which use:

Crevices in walls and brick or stone buildings
Bee hotels and nest boxes installed by humans
Roof interstices and building structure gaps
Tubes, pipes, and cavities in various man-made objects

This sub-indicator is particularly relevant in urban and peri-urban contexts, where natural nesting substrates are scarce but man-made structures can provide alternative micro-habitats. Urban conservation initiatives (bee hotels, pollinator gardens) directly improve this parameter.

Weight in NS weighted average: 1.

Calculation Methodology

Calculated using the InVEST Pollinator Model. The coefficient reflects the density of potentially usable artificial structures:

0.5–0.8 — Medium-high suitability (sparse urban areas, suburbs with masonry buildings, rural areas with traditional constructions)
0.2–0.4 — Medium suitability (dense urban centres, industrial areas)
0.0–0.1 — Low suitability (forests, natural areas without structures)

Data Sources

Code	Name	Provider	Type	Coverage	Availability
`WRD_INVST_99`	InVEST Pollinator Model	Natural Capital Project	model	Global	Continuous

References

Lonsdorf, E. et al. (2009). Annals of Botany, 103(9), 1589-1600.
Fortel, L. et al. (2014). PLOS ONE, 9(8), e104679.

Data Sources & References

Sources

WRD_INVST_99

Methodology

NS sub-indicator for artificial nesting. Each CLC class receives a suitability coefficient for nesting in artificial structures (0-1) based on the InVEST Pollinator model. Target species: Osmia cornuta, Osmia bicornis (walls, bee hotels, roofs). Weight in the NS weighted average: 1. Scale: 0-1.