Wildlife gardening: an urban nexus of social and ecological relationships

Abstract

Biodiversity in urban environments continues to decline, alongside diminution of human connections with nature and community. An integrated ethic and practice of caring for one's human and ecological community could help address these issues.Here, we describe how wildlife gardening can be such a pathway. We snapshot related social dynamics and human wellbeing benefits, highlighting a case study that reveals an array of connections and wellbeing facets from wildlife gardening, and their relationship with number of activities and time spent in the garden. We outline how positive biodiversity outcomes can be attained through habitat improvement in gardens. We describe how integration of nature and human community stewardship can work across physical and political boundaries when government and communities work collaboratively. We argue that wildlife gardening carried out in this manner can involve urban residents in crafting and enacting an intertwined ethic and practice of caring for nature and humanity.

Contribution of Home Gardens to Sustainable Development: Perspectives from A Supported Opinion Essay

“…Most gardens are not suited for the conservation of species with special requirements of area, soil, climate, or habitat [ 192 ]. In fact, urban sprawl is one of the most threatening factors, by reducing natural habitats area and their ecological status, i.e., natural-habitat conservation should be the priority [ 25 ].…”

“…In fact, urban sprawl is one of the most threatening factors, by reducing natural habitats area and their ecological status, i.e., natural-habitat conservation should be the priority [ 25 ]. Nevertheless, in the advent of an increasing urbanized and agriculture-intensive world, wildlife gardening could create, within a small area, a diversity of microhabitats suited for several species [ 192 ]. Conversely, several of the species selected by gardeners or attracted to live in our home gardens (e.g., cats, naturalized and/or invasive species) may pose huge threats to our wild neighbors by spreading infectious diseases, predating several vertebrates and invertebrates, but also competing for space, nutrients, and light [ 193 , 194 , 195 ].…”

Turning things around: A discussion of values, practices, and action in the context of social‐ecological change

“…Although gardening practices often start with certain values or meanings, through the dynamic interactions people have with plants and other non‐human species in the garden, these slowly change over time (Hitchings, 2003; Power, 2005). For example, Mumaw's study of wildlife gardening in Melbourne, Australia (Mumaw, 2017; Mumaw & Bekessy, 2017; Mumaw et al., 2017, 2019), explored how gardeners came to attach values of land stewardship to their gardening born out of learning by doing. Wildlife gardening is arguably a newer gardening practice carried out by households who remove environmental weeds, add forms of habitat through provision of shelter or nesting sites and plant indigenous plants, often with the extensive assistance and support of local governments (Mumaw & Bekessy, 2017).…”

The City Nature Challenge – A global citizen science phenomenon contributing to biodiversity knowledge and informing local government practices

“…Remnant bushland, public parks, and other types of greenspace typically visited by urban bioblitz participants embody the day-to-day opportunity to be in contact with nature for the majority of city dwellers. Not surprisingly, a wide range of urban stakeholders – from researchers, practitioners, built-environment professionals, conservationists, and policymakers to wildlife gardeners, Indigenous communities, ArtScience advocates, and friends-of-groups – are increasingly, and often synergistically, working towards promoting and demonstrating the benefits of urban greenspaces for both people and the rest of nature (Aronson et al 2017, Cumpston 2020, Lepczyk et al 2017, Mata et al 2020, Mumaw and Mata 2022, Nilon et al 2017, Parris et al 2018, Renowden et al 2022, Soanes et al 2019). Urban bioblitzes provide an opportunity to simultaneously gather biodiversity records across greenspace networks (Rega-Brodsky et al 2022) and strengthen the link between city dwellers and the governance of biodiversity and ecosystems in urban environments (McPhearson et al 2016).…”