New Delhi, Feb. 18 -- The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced on Tuesday that it will develop pollinator-friendly corridors along national highways to combat the growing ecological stress on honeybees and other pollinators. The agency plans continuous linear stretches of bee-friendly vegetation, comprising flowering trees and plants, along national highways to ensure year-round nectar and pollen availability. To bolster pollinator conservation, NHAI will plant a mix of trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses that retain wild elements: nectar- and pollen-rich species, allowing flowering weeds to bloom, along with dead wood and hollow trunks beneficial to pollinators. These will include native trees such as neem, karanj, mahua, palash, bottle brush, jamun, and siris. The shift marks a departure from ornamental to ecological plantations. NHAI said 60% of the four million trees earmarked for planting in the next fiscal year (FY 2026-27) will fall under this initiative. The agency targets at least three such corridors in the same period, with clusters of flowering trees planted at intervals of approximately 500 metres to one kilometre. "Depending upon agro-climatic conditions and local suitability, such corridors will be developed along National Highway stretches and other vacant NHAI land parcels. NHAI field offices across the country will identify National Highway sections where clusters of flowering trees can be planted at intervals of approximately 500 meters to 1 km, corresponding to the average foraging distance of honeybees and wild bees," NHAI said in a statement on Tuesday....