Promoting Biodiversity

Promoting biodiversity in your backyard, garden, or property is a fantastic way to not only help the environment but also be therapeutic. Biodiverse gardens and food forests give you beautiful scenery and nature to enjoy without needing to go on a hike. While the other benefits include; access to fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables.This article will explore several ways you can start creating your biodiverse garden or community to nourish so you can help preserve the planet’s health and protect the earth for future generations.

Quit Using Chemicals

Ditching harsh chemicals like pesticides or synthetic fertilizers is the first step in improving biodiversity around your property and neighborhood. The harm caused by these goes far beyond killing wasps or roaches because they also have toxic effects on humans and other insects/animals that they don’t intend to kill. What’s worse is it’s often washed off during rainy days where it goes into the drains and ultimately ends up in other water sources that kill fish and other aquatic species. A better way is to find natural ways to get rid of pests or fertilize your garden. For instance, bringing in birds that will eat the invasive insects that destroy your plants like aphids and others. 

Focus on Local Plants & Animals

Everyone wants a beautiful yard, but many people think it’s only green grass that completes this image. However, that doesn’t work for promoting biodiversity because there aren’t local plants, flowers, and other items that bring variance and balance to the ecosystem. You will need to do research for your specific area things such as; the plants that attract pollinators (such as bees and butterflies). Also, variety is key here so choose things that have different colors, sizes, and sizes so you are getting a variety of pollinators as well. If you want to attract birds, then invest in things like bird feeders, birdhouses, or small fountains/birdbaths. However, plants are most important here. If you are a fan of hummingbirds, for example, then you might want tubular plants which produce larger amounts of nectar to attract them.But remember this– The goal is to find plants and flowers that are native to your area so they can thrive, and it will also require less maintenance from you. When you bring in foreign plants and flowers, it can have the opposite effect as they can become invasive and can dominate native species, wiping them out.

Add a Water Source

While we mentioned the birdbath, it’s an important feature that can greatly increase biodiversity. For the aquatic side, building a small pond can add fish and attract animals like frogs who eat insects like mosquitoes. Creating one doesn’t need to be something elaborate like you’d see on social media. Simply dig a hole, make a concrete or rubber/PVC lining, and add a proper filtration system. 

Takeaway

With these simple tips, you’ll be fully equipped to start creating biodiversity in your backyard, community, and more. It doesn't need to be a complicated endeavor, start with basics like introducing more local plant life to your grass-based lawn and watch the biodiversity grow!