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What is Gardenwild?
GardenWild is about taking our wild neighbors into consideration and doing our part to protect them.
When we use the phrase "wild gardening" we are referring to "wildlife gardening", which is a technique of gardening that provides food, water, shelter for native wildlife and their young.
Wildlife gardens typically feature:
Wildlife gardening addresses a critical environmental problem facing humanity today. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, has been declining across the world. Typically, as an ecosystem's biodiversity reduces, the system's integrity reduces, making it more vulnerable to disruption or collapse. Over time, if the biodiversity decline continues, the ecosystem may collapse - no longer able to support the organisms that depend on it.
Wildlife gardening promotes biodiversity and has the potential to provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors for native wildlife - protecting the health of our home ecoregions!
Why GardenWild?
1. Biodiversity is in decline.
Biodiversity in urban and suburban areas is rapidly declining - threatening food supplies, water quality, and other human resources. When biodiversity declines, ecosystems become fragile. Over time, the interconnected webs of life begin to collapse, which can lead to agricultural crop losses associated with reduced pollination rates, pest infestations, loss of water quality, and soil erosion (among other things).
2. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major contributors to biodiversity decline.
Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation are some of the leading causes of biodiversity decline. As humans have built homes, neighborhoods, towns, and cities - we have split the natural environment into more and more, smaller and smaller, pieces. Fortunately, there is something we can do to combat this problem.
3. Habitat loss and fragmentation can be combated by building habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors.
For years communities have relied on public and private conservation agencies to protect native habitats and native plant and animal populations as suburban and urban development continue to disrupt habitats. As a result, a myriad "habitat sanctuaries" have been established - small islands of protected habitats. The problem, though, is that these habitat islands are not very effective without habitat corridors that connect these islands together. If habitat corridors can be established throughout our communities, the devastating effects of habitat loss and fragmentation can be somewhat mitigated.
4. Wildlife-friendly gardening techniques provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors throughout communities.
Through wild gardening, or wildlife gardening (we use the terms interchangeably), people can provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors for native wildlife - helping to protect the biodiversity of our home ecosystems. Enhanced biodiversity is associated with greater crop yields, healthier soils, and healthier water!
When we use the phrase "wild gardening" we are referring to "wildlife gardening", which is a technique of gardening that provides food, water, shelter for native wildlife and their young.
Wildlife gardens typically feature:
- Water features, such as ponds, fountains, artificial rivers
- Rock gardens to provide basking areas for lizards
- Native plants
- Animal shelters like bird houses, bat boxes, and bug motels
- Designated "wild zones" where plants are allowed to go wild
Wildlife gardening addresses a critical environmental problem facing humanity today. Biological diversity, or biodiversity, has been declining across the world. Typically, as an ecosystem's biodiversity reduces, the system's integrity reduces, making it more vulnerable to disruption or collapse. Over time, if the biodiversity decline continues, the ecosystem may collapse - no longer able to support the organisms that depend on it.
Wildlife gardening promotes biodiversity and has the potential to provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors for native wildlife - protecting the health of our home ecoregions!
Why GardenWild?
1. Biodiversity is in decline.
Biodiversity in urban and suburban areas is rapidly declining - threatening food supplies, water quality, and other human resources. When biodiversity declines, ecosystems become fragile. Over time, the interconnected webs of life begin to collapse, which can lead to agricultural crop losses associated with reduced pollination rates, pest infestations, loss of water quality, and soil erosion (among other things).
2. Habitat loss and fragmentation are major contributors to biodiversity decline.
Habitat loss and habitat fragmentation are some of the leading causes of biodiversity decline. As humans have built homes, neighborhoods, towns, and cities - we have split the natural environment into more and more, smaller and smaller, pieces. Fortunately, there is something we can do to combat this problem.
3. Habitat loss and fragmentation can be combated by building habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors.
For years communities have relied on public and private conservation agencies to protect native habitats and native plant and animal populations as suburban and urban development continue to disrupt habitats. As a result, a myriad "habitat sanctuaries" have been established - small islands of protected habitats. The problem, though, is that these habitat islands are not very effective without habitat corridors that connect these islands together. If habitat corridors can be established throughout our communities, the devastating effects of habitat loss and fragmentation can be somewhat mitigated.
4. Wildlife-friendly gardening techniques provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors throughout communities.
Through wild gardening, or wildlife gardening (we use the terms interchangeably), people can provide habitat sanctuaries and habitat corridors for native wildlife - helping to protect the biodiversity of our home ecosystems. Enhanced biodiversity is associated with greater crop yields, healthier soils, and healthier water!