Nurturing nature for the future

Green spaces offer great opportunities for us to recharge and feel connected with nature. Whether it be public green spaces or private gardens and backyards, all provide potential to support biodiversity and enhance physical wellbeing and mental health. The Town Belt and city reserves provide an urban bush corridor that supports native plant, insect and bird species. They offer excellent opportunities for residents to regularly encounter this biodiversity across the city. However, private gardens and backyards also make up a large proportion of land area in the city, comprising 36% of Dunedin's total urban space. By understanding the habitat we have available in our backyards, we can take steps to encourage even more native species to live amongst us.

A University of Otago research team led by Professor Yolanda van Heezik recently developed a Gardenstar rating tool that helps residents understand how well their gardens support biodiversity. The tool looks at many different aspects that affect biodiversity. Land area available for supporting plant and animal life, native vs exotic plantings, size of plantings and predator control are just some of the factors that are used to evaluate the Gardenstar rating.

Residents can use the Gardenstar tool to identify areas where biodiversity can potentially be enhanced. Gardens with more vegetation, particularly native plants, are especially attractive to native insects and birds that can help with further dispersal.

Different garden layers benefit biodiversity in different ways.

There are many ways we can help improve garden biodiversity. Here are a few options suitable for spaces and budgets of all sizes:

🪤 Predator control. Set up rat, possum or wasp traps on your property. By removing these pest species from your property you will make your backyard safer for other native and beneficial species.

🐝 Make your garden insect friendly. Build a natural bug hotel by making a pile of rocks, branches and leaf litter in a corner of your garden. DIY decorative bug hotels can also be made from tin cans stuffed with branches and leaves and laid horizontally. These will encourage native pollinators and other insects to move in. Keeping your grass a little longer and eliminating pesticide use can also help support insect biodiversity. If soft bodied pest insects are a problem in your garden, a strong jet of water from the hose or a spray with soapy water can be effective for removing them.

🌿 Plant native shrubs or trees in your garden to attract native insects and birds. Native plants, insects and birds evolved and adapted together over millennia. Native plantings provide an attractive food source for other native species. If you are interested in finding out the specific types of native plants that will thrive in your neighbourhood, visit the DCC Native planting in Dunedin page. You can enter your location and get a list of native plants that will grow well in your area.

Are you keen to find out your Gardenstar score? The Gardenstar questionnaire takes just a few minutes to complete. You can then send a scan or photo of your responses to the Otago research team, who can provide suggestions on how you could make your garden home to more native biodiversity. Check out the Gardenstar page for more information.