Nature
Nature is our life support system. We need to protect and restore living systems – like forests, peat bogs, saltmarshes and the ocean. When they are allowed to recover they reduce the risk of species extinction and draw down carbon from the atmosphere, reducing the chances of climate catastrophe.
According to Surrey Wildlife Trust a third of Surrey’s wildlife is either now extinct or heading that way. Surrey is one of Britain’s most nature-depleted counties, with loss due to habitat lost to farmland, roads, housing estates, golf courses and other human developments and pesticide use.
Sharp declines in invertebrate (animals that lack backbones) groups have been recorded in Surrey: bumblebees (42%); ground beetles (51%); butterflies (44%) fresh water snails, slugs and mussels (34%); hoverflies (25%). The mistle thrush has joined house sparrows, starlings and song thrushes on the ‘red’ list for conservation priority, with at least 50% decline in the UK breeding populations.
Daily contact with nature can reduce stress, encourage exercise and improve concentration. There is a 10% reduction in work absence if employees can see green space rather than a wall and the presence of houseplants in an office boosts productivity by 15%! Natural features, such as wildflower borders or bird feeding stations, reduce mental illness and benefit wellbeing.
Leave areas for wildlife
The Blue Campaign promotes the rewilding of gardens, parks, road verges and school grounds by individuals, schools and local councils. The idea is to let part of a patch of land go wild – let plants grow without tidying or cutting them back until late winter. Stick a blue heart on a pole in the middle of the area to show that it is a deliberate act, for the benefit of wildlife – not just you being lazy! More information available at: www.bluecampaignhub.com
Can Westcotters go no-mow ?
‘We have been wilding our lawn for the past few years. We have a pretty carpet naturally of clover, vetch, waving grasses plus wildflowers where we have sowed these. The lawn buzzes with bees, insects and probably small unseen wildlife. The lawn is more drought tolerant in the worst of the summer heat. It has to be cut sometimes, but either a very high manual scythe cut or a high-setting mower cut.
Arguments against may be it looks messy: if you want to look ‘neat and tidy’ for the neighbourhood we have seen wilded lawns with a carefully mown strip at the edge – which works really well. Other places we have seen with a path mown down the middle of a long lawn, or circles for lying in (surrounded by taller grasses) If a lot of us start doing this, it will become a new normal. It would be good to see more no-mow in Westcott’
For information on which flowers to grow in your garden to attract bees click here and butterflies click here.
Go pesticide & peat free
Encourage natural predators into your garden to help keep pest numbers down. A log pile is attractive to invertebrates, which in turn will attract natural predators, like birds. Log piles can also provide shelter for hedgehogs who love to dine on slugs. A small pond can encourage frogs which eat aphids – as do ladybirds.
Peatlands provide valuable habitat for wildlife and are a great at locking up carbon. Much of the compost and potted plants available to buy contain peat. Peat is dug up from wild places – more than 94% of the UK’s lowland peat bogs have been damaged or destroyed. Ask for peat-free compost or make your own.
Learn more about the nature crisis here