Most of us like the idea of biodiversity, eco-friendliness and boosting the
environment but for many that does not extend beyond buying fairtrade coffee
or going to the garden centre for a few bedding plants.
What many people fail to realize is that all of us as individuals can make a
huge impact on biodiversity and the quality of our environment simply by using
our own homes in a creative way.
For those who live in the country, land is not generally a problem – the
average house might have half an acre of land, often much more. In such cases
it’s easy enough to set aside land as a woodland, a wilderness or wildlife
area. Other options could be specific areas of interest such as a native garden,
Japanese garden, a rockery, vegetable garden, composting area or a pond, all
of which encourage bird and insect life, and in the case of ponds – much
needed places for frogs, newts and toads to live in.
All such areas are generally complemented by thoughtful selection and sighting
of trees. It is of course possible (and helpful) to pick these based on the
number of species that they might support in addition to their attractiveness
of potential size.
Unfortunately, as one drives through the Irish countryside, all too often houses
are surrounded purely by large expanses of lawn with fences used to mark the
boundary. Such sites fail to qualify as gardens to my mind, a grass monoculture
is effectively useless to the environment, providing nothing for wildlife and
producing only very low levels of oxygen.
Worse still is the neglect of country hedgerows and in some cases their replacement
with either block walls or fences. The old fashioned stone ditches were walls
in essence but allowed plants (if not deliberately planted) such as hawthorn,
blackthorn, ash, gorse and fuchsia etc. to develop within them until they formed
a hedge.
In order to counteract this lack of awareness of the need for biodiversity and
the lack of effort that goes with it, it is really up to individual householders
to make efforts to reintroduce diversity into the landscape. There are a large
number of books that offer excellent advice and ideas on developing such gardens
which are widely available in bookshops and garden centres. Also courses, such
as those offered by The Organic Centre, in Leitrim or maybe evening classes
at your local school/college might be useful in collecting ideas and find the
inspiration to get started.
For those that live in the city, a greater level of imagination and creativity
is often required as generally space is at a premium. However, if you only have
a roof terrace, yard, balconies or a very small garden it is still possible
to make a valuable contribution to biodiversity.
For instance, if there is no soil area it is possible to grow shrubs and small
trees in containers such as the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) which as the
name suggests is frequented by butterflies. In the wild these can grow to about
15ft in height but in a large pot they will remain a manageable size. Even if
you are only able to have a couple of trees in pots this still makes a valuable
contribution to air quality and may also provide food for birds and insects.
Small individual contributions add up to a large contribution if the whole street
or whole neighbourhood join in!
Inventive use of space and taking into account shelter and where the sun travels
in relation to the space available can enable the biodiversity enthusiast to
grow a variety of plants in a small area. I personally have seen a small urban
garden of just 20ft wide by 30ft long absolutely crammed with trees, plants
and even a small pond that the local frogs took full advantage of. In a few
short years this became a haven for all manner of insects as well as birds,
frogs and hedgehogs. In addition to looking very attractive (which adds value
to the house) and providing a habitat this garden traps carbon dioxide within
the plants (trees especially) whilst also producing many times more oxygen than
the lawn and gravel garden next door.
One does not need to be a creative genius or have to spend a fortune to make
such a sylvan paradise a reality Again there are books that cater specifically
for the small garden or urban dwelling and there is also plenty of useful information
on the internet that will help one to make the best use of limited space.
With major cutbacks in woodland and cuts in more general environmental funding,
largely as a result of the banking crisis, it is now more vital than ever before
that individuals and local communities who have an interest in biodiversity
and sustaining the natural world get involved on a practical level. We cannot
rely on government or semi-state bodies to ensure that suitable environments
for endangered or diminishing species continue to exist. It really is necessary
for us to take the initiative in protecting and preserving the rich mixture
of native, naturalized and foreign plants and animals that inhabit this island
if it is still going to be intact for future generations to enjoy.