Why Wildlife Gardens Are Important
What is a wildlife garden?
Wildlife gardening is the practice of intentionally gardening to provide habitats for surrounding wildlife, which might be anything from pollinators to deer. When you create a wildlife garden, you can focus on a specific type of habitat, like bird-friendly or prairie gardens, or you can be more broad and encourage different wildlife in different areas of the garden. The possibilities are endless!
You can read about the component and requirements of a wildlife garden in my previous post:
Wildlife Gardens for Biodiversity
Wildlife gardens are crucial for the sake of the preservation of many species, including our own.
In 2017, the National Science Foundation started a four-year-long study on the impacts of wildlife gardens. Their abstract states: “The aim is to determine how factors that effect change (such as shifts in human demographics, desires for biodiversity and water conservation, regulations that govern water use and quality, and dispersal of organisms) will interact with factors that contribute to stability such as social norms, property values, neighborhood and city covenants and laws, and commercial interests.”
In very simplified terms, they were looking for ways that nature affects society, specifically the resilience of that society.
What they found was that, on a small scale, wildlife gardens increase biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of life that gives an ecosystem resiliency. On a large scale, this improved biodiversity means that we are less susceptible to zoonotic pathogens.
There was a time when biodiversity was thought to contain more risk of contracting zoonotic diseases. I can completely understand the thought process. More variety of wildlife = more infections spread between animals and people. Right?
No!
What this study found was just the opposite. They discovered that degraded landscapes were more likely to harbor diseases. Biodiversity is actually acting as a shield to the pathogens we’re mostly likely to get sick from. In this article, Felicia Keesing of Bard College and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies says, “Animals that live fast, die young, and have early sexual maturity with lots of offspring tend to invest less in their adaptive immune responses. They are often better at transmitting diseases, compared to longer-lived animals with stronger adaptive immunity."
Basically, wildlife gardens increase biodiversity. Biodiversity makes our ecosystem more resilient.
Does that mean wildlife gardens can save our lives someday?
Who can say for sure? I do know it can make massive impacts on our longevity. And maybe there's a reason all those dystopian films and books are all concrete jungles...
Wildlife Gardens for Conservation
Gardening for wildlife involves planting a majority of native plants. What loves native plants? Native pollinators! We love pollinators because they provide us with many of the food sources our bodies need. We gotta eat, right?
Native plants also need less water to thrive but their complex roots can help to loosen compacted soil and prevent storm-water runoff, which means more water soaks into the soil.
However, even if they don't save our species from crazy apocalypses or starvation, gardening for wildlife can effect individuals in deep and meaningful ways.
Wildlife Gardens for Health
Seeing the part we can play to help the ecosystem thrive, even on the small scale of our own yards, can mark a profound sense of peace and satisfaction.
In the same way some people look to the stars and remember how small we are, a wildlife garden can give the perspective that we need to stay grounded. It’s so easy to get caught in the “rat-race” and forget to slow down. A wildlife garden is the perfect place to meditate on the present, an activity that has been proven to reduce stress and improve overall wellness.
Generally, gardening is known to improve mood and attention span while decreasing stress. Gardening satisfies the biophilia theory, which suggests that humans are innately drawn to nature, and combats Nature Deficit Disorder, a term used to encompass the effects of being deprived of nature.
Experiencing effects like these are why I fell in love with gardening to begin with, which spurred a desire to learn everything I could about the connections between people and nature. Which leads me to...
Wildlife Gardens for Education
Gardening for wildlife is an educational experience. Whether you’re just starting to garden or you’ve been in the garden your whole life, there is always something to learn from being in nature.
For any age, a garden can improve vocabulary, encourage independence, and improve memory.
The practice of cultivation is one of constant growth. Pun very much intended. We grow as much as the plants in our gardens. Gardens are a wonderful classroom for students of all ages. We get better and better when we learn more about how gardens, and nature as a whole, "work".
If you have children, a wildlife garden is an opportunity to teach them about nature, the cycle of life, and the impacts we can make on the world.
And I truly believe we make impacts on the world, even small ones.
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