Symposium: Creating optimal urban living conditions for the RefuBees

We are organising a multidisciplinary symposium to explore how we can create ‘cities as temporary nature reserves for wild bee species’. The event takes place from 27 to 29 May 2025 in the former Cistercian monastery of Raitenhaslach on the river Salzach in Bavaria, on the border with Austria. The Raitenhaslach monastery, now the TUM Science & Study Center, offers an ideal setting for scientific dialogue and intercultural discussion.

Programme partners

collaboration to develop methodologies

The symposium programme is being developed in collaboration with the town of Burghausen, the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Delft University of Technology (TUDelft), Bund Naturschutz Bayern and the Munich–Nymphenburg Botanical Garden. Over the course of three days we aim to develop a practical methodology that can be implemented in the city of Munich.

Structured symposium

a results-oriented unconference

This symposium is structured as a results-oriented non-conference and will address key issues, reflect on existing methodologies, share best practice and work together to refine strategies. By exploring different approaches from people with different climatic-ecological and cultural backgrounds and drawing on diverse expertise, we aim to create a large-scale case study with a unique approach that can also be put into practice.

European Consortium

Diverse expertise for urban bee habitats

This symposium is tailor-made for our European consortium, which consists of academics, experts and practical innovators from different cultural, ecological and sociological backgrounds. Our shared aim is to create urban environments that can house all RefuBee species equally efficiently. Through the implementation and evaluation process, these solutions can be reviewed by peers and serve as a template for other cities in the future.

Bavaria and Munich

a promising setting for sustainable solutions

The choice of Munich and Bavaria is in line with the European Green Deal’s focus on biodiversity and reversing the decline of pollinators. In 2019 an extremely successful referendum to save bees and biodiversity received massive support from Bavarian citizens: 1.7 million of the 9.5 million eligible voters signed in person at town halls within a month. Despite this strong public support, the Bavarian government reworded and watered down the proposed amendments to the Bavarian nature conservation law. Nevertheless, this region offers a promising demographic setting with the potential to actively involve a large number of people in implementing solutions.

IslBG