Hope is not hopeless
Hope is not hopeless
To be faced with such an astronomical crisis like climate change, you can be overcome by a sense of powerlessness. But there is hope… just by making simple changes to our lives we can protect, conserve and care for our planet together.
Tackling climate change means making some big adjustments to the way we live. But it could also lead us to a greener, healthier future.
If you are lucky enough to have a garden of your own, a balcony, access to a community garden or even an allotment you have the perfect opportunity to create a haven for wildlife - collectively we can do so much to give nature a boost and now’s the time to get started
Across Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it is estimated that there are 24 million gardens in total. Combined, they make up more land than all the UK’s nature reserves and have an enormous potential to help nature recover. Gardens are a crucial part of the jigsaw puzzle, acting as stepping stones and green corridors for wildlife to move between larger wild spaces. Your garden doesn’t have to be a wild and messy jungle for wildlife to thrive; it can be a mosaic of mini habitats that come together to create a beautiful space, for both people and wildlife. Many of our much-loved common garden visitors – including hedgehogs, house sparrows, starlings and common frogs – are under threat. Pressure from habitat loss, pesticide use, and now the climate emergency, is taking a heavy toll, rewilding your green space offers a unique opportunity to support all creatures great and small.
Rewilding expands on this with an outlook that puts natural processes first. To rewild a green space is to look at the land from nature’s point of view, and allow nature to take the lead wherever possible and for the flora and fauna to thrive. From forests and scrub to grassland, wetlands and more, large natural landscapes contain many types of habitat home to a myriad of creatures. Rewilding can increase and diversify rural and coastal jobs while helping Britain meet its biodiversity and climate commitments, says a new report from Rewilding Britain. The Wilder National Parks campaign is calling on the government to pave the way to protect our national parks and make them wilder so that these precious places can lead the way in turning the page on nature-depleted Britain and support the ecosystems.
““Rewilding is rooted in a mind-set that puts nature and natural processes first, flipping traditional gardening on its head””
You can get even closer to your local wildlife by making your back garden a safe haven for nature. Here are 10 ways to build a wildlife oasis …
Make your garden a wildlife haven - Avoid using pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, even be careful about what you paint your garden fence with. One of the reasons behind the massive losses of insect diversity in our countryside is the increasing use and effectiveness of pesticides and herbicides, not only on farmland but also in gardens.
Buy or make your own bird box and feeder - provide birds with a safe home and food all year round to help them thrive.
Allow for the natural decay of garden waste - instead of throwing your garden waste away, you should embrace the waste. Nature loves decay. It’s part of the natural cycle to return nutrients to the ground. To create a log pile; stack shrub and plant pruning under the hedge to rot down and create natural ‘bug hotels’ or a compost heap for your food waste.
Grow climbers as they provide a safe shelter for insects and both the flowers and seeds are fantastic sources of food and pollen
Create a bug hotel to give all creatures shelter. They are brilliant fun to make, and you can make one from anything in your gardens such as rocks, twigs or rotting wood. The best time to make one of these is when your wildlife garden is being established as creatures can settle into their new habitat.
Go wild with water - Putting water into your garden, even a birdbath, will make it more appealing to wildlife. If you have space, you could create a bog or wetland area by mimicking that great engineer, the beaver, and make a small dam. Ponds are commonplace in the most wildlife-rich habitats in the country, so the very best thing you can do to support wildlife in your garden is to create a wildlife pond.
Let the grass grow and sow some wildflower seeds. Mowing the lawn only once every four weeks give ‘short-grass’ plants like daisies and white clover a chance to flower in profusion, boosting nectar production tenfold. Wildflowers encourage pollinators to flock to your green space and enhance the diversity of the space.
The more plants and trees you have in the garden, the more you will be encouraging the local wildlife, too. Carbon dioxide loving plants and trees will help to reduce pollution in the air, via oxygenic photosynthesis. Oxygenic photosynthesis is the process by which plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen. The oxygen is then returned to the atmosphere. Planting native species such as hawthorn, foxgloves, honeysuckle, and red or white clover is superb for our bees and insects, which are confronting immense global declines. Planting for every season provides a plentiful supply of nectar all year round.
Grow your own veggies - Growing your own food has many health benefits: It helps you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Vegetables that ripen in the garden have more nutrients than some store-bought vegetables that must be picked early. They taste fresher too!
Find a compost bin - Rather than your food waste ending up in a landfill site, why not use it to create an organic compost that your plants will love? It is the most sustainable way of dealing with food and garden waste. Virtually all food waste can be composted and decomposed. The best thing about having a compost bin is that your plants will absolutely love the nutrient-packed organic matter you’ll provide them with, and once you have your compost bin set up, it’ll never cost you a penny.
Gardening is a great way to combat stress and anxiety, with fresh air and exercise being widely recommended to people suffering with mental health. By reconnecting with nature, we are able to understand both our surroundings and ourselves much better.
Ways nature can help our mental health:
Wild swimming
Explore somewhere new
Listen to birds
Look out for wildlife
Forest bathing
Grow your own veg
Plant wildflower seeds
Go for a wander in nature
So what are you waiting for now is your time to return to the wild?
