The Importance of Every Action, Even the Smallest One
This Monday, April 4, 2022, the IPCC experts revealed a set of recommendations to be implemented immediately to save the Earth. While these solutions for slowing down the current climate emergency are of course, essential, they have the disadvantage of being on a global scale.
Faced with such recommendations, we, “ordinary citizens,” often feel powerless. Is there nothing we can do at our level to help? Are there solutions we can easily implement and thus participate in saving our environment?
The answer is yes! In light of this alarming situation, it is clear that every little action counts. Changing your lifestyle by prioritizing biking, eating locally, aiming for zero waste… is not the only possible action. You can also contribute to promoting biodiversity near you, starting with your garden, for example.
Biodiversity, an Ally Against Global Warming
Biodiversity and climate are closely linked. While we mainly think of the impact of global warming on the loss of current biodiversity, this link is not one-way street. Biodiversity, in fact, provides many solutions to combat climate change: it helps purify our air, combats heatwaves, storms, and floods, and more.
Want to learn more about this connection? Read our article: “Biodiversity to Combat Climate Change.”
And in this area, you too can take action. How? By promoting biodiversity in your garden. There are, in fact, several actions that you can implement, either alone if you have a green thumb or with the help of a landscape architect gardener.
Our Actions to Promote Biodiversity in Your Garden
To assist you, we offer various simple actions to implement. These actions will help you design your garden responsibly, both for the environment and for all forms of life we encounter in Belgium.
Before starting, it’s important to know the environment in which your garden is located. It’s this context that will guide you to design and integrate it into its immediate surroundings, allowing it to become a refuge zone for the biodiversity native to your region.
How much sunshine does it get? Are there shaded areas? What plant and animal species are already present? This reflection will help you design your natural garden project and place the elements in the right spots.
Create a Natural Pond
In a garden, a pond is not only aesthetic. Even a small one will host many species, both plant and animal. The pond should be deep enough (at least 80 to 100 cm), have gentle slopes, and different water levels. This will prevent it from freezing completely in winter and allow birds to bathe and small mammals not to drown.
If you decide to install aquatic plants, use only native species. Some are more decorative, like rushes or yellow iris, but also consider floating plants like yellow water lilies and oxygenating plants such as water milfoil and callitriches.
With a little patience, you’ll notice that animals will settle in on their own. Observe the newcomers! Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) will probably be the first to arrive, followed by diving beetles and other aquatic insects. You’ll also find amphibians (frogs, toads, newts, etc.), molluscs, birds, and many other species.
The idea is that if every private garden had a little natural water spot, we could recreate an aquatic ecological corridor that would be beneficial to all the species living in this habitat.
Allowing a zone of spontaneous nature to emerge
It’s always interesting to leave a zone of spontaneous nature in your garden. By letting a few square meters grow freely, you’ll encourage the appearance of wild plants and flowers, which are very useful for both the fauna and the health of your garden.
A plant never grows in soil for no reason. Nettles, for example, grow in soils that are too rich in nitrogen. They help absorb some of this excess. Other plants help aerate the soil through their roots, allowing it to breathe more easily.
Avoid the Use of Pesticides
Phytosanitary or phytopharmaceuticals include biocides, anti-parasitic products, herbicides, fungicides, etc. They contain active substances that degrade more or less quickly.
The negative impact of synthetic pesticides is undeniable. They affect the environment, of course (pollution of air and soil), but also fauna and flora. The consequences for both fauna and flora are both direct and indirect.
Wild and domestic animals can become poisoned by consuming these products directly or indirectly, for example, by eating contaminated water and food. This is the case for birds, for example, that may eat seeds covered with these products.
Phytosanitary products also contribute to the destruction of food resources (insects, fruits, etc.), habitat loss (brambles, nettles, etc.), and the creation of new diseases (cancer, infertility, immune system failure, etc.).
Plant Nectar-Producing Flowers
Melliferous plants are used by bees to make honey. Both domestic and wild bees play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. They pollinate the flowers of our fruit trees and crops, thus participating to the creation of our food resources. They also help in the reproduction of many plants by contributing to their pollination.
By planting melliferous plants in your garden, you help protect these essential species for our well-being. So, opt for lavender, climbing ivy, honeysuckle, thyme laurel, heathers, hollyhocks, and let wild plants grow! Dandelions, daisies, clovers, and others will transform your lawn into a flowering meadow. These flowers are a real asset for attracting pollinating insects to the garden (which will also be very helpful for your vegetable garden).
Welcome Wildlife and Create Refuges for Them
Diversifying natural habitats is important because each species has specific needs. There are many solutions you can implement to help wildlife find refuge in your garden. Here are a few:
- Create an insect hotel at the back of your garden.
- Install birdhouses and shelters for birds.
- Build small piles of wood and leaves to allow hedgehogs, insects, and small rodents to shelter.
- Build a stone wall for insects, mice, and small birds.
- A garden shed is also ideal for allowing birds like swallows to build their nests.
Avoid Planting Invasive Alien Species
Although attractive for their colors, shapes, and uniqueness, invasive alien plant species are one of the main reasons for the loss and disappearance of many of our native species.
Often invasive, they weaken ecosystems by making them vulnerable to invasions. So much so that there is now a list of these invasive alien species present in Wallonia. Among them, we find the Tree of heaven, Indian strawberry, Japanese knotweed, Brazilian waterweed, Spanish bluebell, butterfly bush, …
Create Wildlife Crossings
Since animals such as hedgehogs, field mice, shrews, squirrels, and others need to move safely, think of them when designing your garden. Create what is known as “wildlife crossings.”
Many of us mark our land with hedges, fences, walls, or wire. However, these barriers are often insurmountable obstacles for many small animals. There are solutions to make it easier for them to pass:
- For a fence, for example, create a small gap at the bottom of the wire or small openings every 10–15 meters.
- For a wall, plant climbing ivy to allow climbing animals to ascend.
- For hedges, prefer those made of native shrubs rather than exotic species.
- Also, think about chestnut wood fences, which are made from local wood and leave space between the posts.
Plant Native Shrubs
As explained earlier, native shrubs allow species like birds and small mammals to find refuge. They are also attractive to many insects and provide food for many species. This is the case for hawthorn, wild rose, raspberry, elderberry, blood dogwood, etc.
Final Words
As we can see, every action, even the smallest, can have a greater impact than we think. By promoting biodiversity in your garden, you will not only contribute to its protection, which is essential for our fauna and flora, but also help protect nature as a whole.
