June 2024
Our gardens, balconies and hoods (can) host a wide range of local wildlife. If designed ecologically, they can offer a great source of support for the protection, maintenance and reinforcement of Biodiversity →.
To support wildlife in our area, we need to learn about the needs of the native animal species, plants and microorganisms in our region and create a natural, diverse and undisturbed environment free of toxic chemicals.
Here are the very basics to help you get started. Enjoy exploring.
What is wildlife?
It is unclear what "wildlife" means or which creatures it covers. When we speak of "wildlife" at The Considerate Consumer, we mean wild, undomesticated or cultivated (Yarrow, 2009) animals and wild plants (Anthony et al., 2009).
Which role do ecosystems play?
Our ecosystem consists of complex interactions between many creatures, wild animals, and plants, some of which are microscopically small. We must, therefore, protect all its components so that each one can function.
Why does wildlife matter?
Humans are only part of a wide range of strongly interconnected organisms that populate our planet. Any ecosystem imbalances have a subsequent domino effect on all its parameters, including our existence.
How does wildlife affect humans?
Only a limited part of our planet’s life is domesticated by humans - pets, farm animals, and ornamental and functional plants.
However, wildlife's role in and for our ecosystems is essential, varied, and complex.
Here are a few examples to give you an idea of wildlife's existential importance to our quality of life and human survival.
Food & Clothes
We have bred farm animals from wild animals to produce Food → (milk, honey, etc.) or Clothing → (leather, silk, wool, etc).
Construction Material & Energy
We cultivate wild plants to obtain substances for construction materials (coconut, cork, hemp, wood, algae, etc.) or bioenergy (biogas from alga or reeds).
Pollination
Most fruits and vegetables we eat depend exclusively on pollinators for reproduction. Most pollinators are wild animals, such as insects, bats, birds, rodents, and reptiles.
By protecting wildlife and its natural habitats, we secure available food sources.
Learn more about Pollinators →.
Reproduction & pest control
Wild animals play a vital role in the ecosystem. They help disperse and reproduce plants (eating fruit and pooping out the seeds elsewhere) and regulate pests (e.g., ladybugs eat aphids that damage the plant and reduce its productivity).
Regulation of Populations
Predators (e.g., hedgehogs) and other wildlife help regulate the populations of prey and pests (e.g., snails), which can help maintain the balance in the ecosystem and prevent overpopulation.
Cleaning the air & producing oxygen
We all know the importance of Trees →. They convert CO₂ into oxygen, which is necessary for life.
Phytoplankton acts like the ocean’s lungs, absorbing CO₂ and producing almost half of the world’s O2.
Cleaning oceans & water.
Marine life, such as shellfish and microbes, purifies ocean water by filtering microscopic particles and converting all marine waste into usable molecules.
Improving soil fertility
Wildlife behaviours such as burrowing (e.g., bunnies), feeding (e.g., deer) and moving (e.g., earthworms) contribute to soil aeration and mixing, which can increase soil fertility and promote carbon sequestration.
Preventing erosion
By stabilising the soil with their roots, wild plants prevent erosion, such as landslides or the erosion of land mass along waterways and oceans.
Absorbing & storing carbon
Plants and marine organisms, such as phytoplankton and whales, significantly mitigate the greenhouse effect by absorbing CO₂. Native wildlife contributes massively to intact forests, savannahs and other ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems store large amounts of carbon in biomass and Soils →.
Learn more about our Carbon Footprint →.
Protection of human health
Pathogen control
In a balanced ecosystem, pathogen expansion remains controlled through competition and predatory interactions.Clean air
Plants clean the air from carbon dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants that can cause severe health problems such as heart disease, asthma, and cancer. Studies indicate that urban green spaces are associated with a lower prevalence of lung cancer and children's asthma and reduced asthma hospitalisation incidents.Raw materials for medicine
Plants provide 60% of the world’s medicine. For example, opium poppy contains raw opium, which is processed into morphine, codeine, and heroin. Filipendula ulmaria/ meadowsweet is the raw material for aspirin.Cooling cities
In cities, concrete streets and pavements absorb much heat. Trees in the towns and wild flora surrounding them comprise a natural and costless form of shade and air conditioning. This leads to lower energy generation demands for air conditioning units, representing a risk-mitigating factor for heatstroke and reducing exposure to UV-R.Mental health improvement
People living close to natural environments and wildlife are mentally, emotionally resilient, and physically active. Engaging with nature (e.g., Hiking →, walking, gardening, visiting wildlife enclosures) can also prevent mental illness from worsening.
Learn more about Animal-Friendly Entertainment →.
Tourism & recreation
Wildlife is a major attraction for nature tourism. People like to travel to nature reserves and national parks to observe wildlife in their natural habitat, which can secure the economic development of rural areas.
Learn about Eco-Friendly Travelling & Tourism → & Animal-Friendly Entertainment →.
General Support for Wildlife
Promote as much plant and animal diversity in your garden as possible.
Get informed about the different types of wildlife species native to your region and how you can support them.
To get proper information from experts for your country and area, obtain information from your local nature conservation or environmental protection group, a wildlife protection association, or the forestry office.
Here are some examples:
Germany - deutschewildtierstiftung.de
Switzerland - wildtierschutz.com
Some general rules that you can follow are:
Avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides.
If gardening is your hobby, opt for organic Gardening → practices.
Planting native flowers and Trees → as a source of food and shelter.
Providing artificial shelters as well as feed, especially in colder seasons.
Providing water sources, especially during the hot season.
Supporting different types of wildlife
Gardens are home to diverse wildlife, varying depending on location and environment.
Here are some examples of the most common wildlife that may appear in gardens in Europe and how you can support each one.
For detailed information on each species native to your area, check out your national and local wildlife conversation organisation.
Birds
Birds such as blackbirds, sparrows, tits, robins, and many others are prevalent in Europe. You can support birds in your garden by installing birdhouses and birdbaths. Also, you can provide nesting sites in nest boxes and offer extra feed, such as seeds and crumbs, during winter.
Insects
Insects play a crucial role in food chains; many are plant pollinators. To provide food and shelter for pollinators such as wild bees and butterflies, you can plant flowering plants and place nesting aids such as insect hotels or reed bundles. Moreover, allow some garden corners to grow wild and not rush to clean up fallen leaves or dry branches, as many insects develop larvae in dead plant material.
Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs are valuable guests in our garden as they eat snails and insects, which can be enemies for our crops. You can create shelters for hedgehogs by building a hedgehog box or a pile of wood and leaves.
Bats
Bats are nocturnal hunters of insects. You can support bats in your garden by hanging bat boxes and turning off garden lights at night to attract insects so they can hunt.
Small Mammals
Small mammals such as mice and squirrels can also live in gardens. To support those, you can set up nesting boxes or shelters for squirrels and leave piles of leaves and brushwood for mice and other small mammals. Also, you can grow some squirrel-friendly plants like oak trees in your yard.
Amphibians & Reptiles
Frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes may appear in your garden. As they need watering places, you can create small ponds or offer shallow bowls of water to drink and reproduce.
Caterpillars
Many species of butterflies have caterpillars that feed on specific plants. Get informed about caterpillar-food plants suitable for your area and provide them.
Wild plants
Numerous wild plants, such as poppies, narcissus, clover, chamomile, oregano and many more, can grow completely uninvited in your garden.
The advantage: Wild native plants often support native wild animal species. Therefore, follow a planting concept that provides space for as many wild native plant species as possible in your garden.
Plus, avoid the application of herbicides and mechanical interventions such as weeding and tillage. If you need to intervene, ensure you control only the plants that comprise pests for your garden and that this is done in a mild and eco-friendly way. Remember: A crucial part of supporting wildlife is avoiding the application of toxic chemicals.
SupportING wildlife in the city
Here is how to protect wildlife in our cities:
Create green spaces - Especially in urban places, creating as much green space as possible in our garden is vital for offering habitats for wildlife. Remember that there are ways for even a few m2 of space to be altered into a beautiful oasis of native plants and flowers, which comprise small habitats for many fauna species.
Remember: Even if you do not have a garden, you can put flowers or small trees on your balcony.
Green rooftops for bees - Supporting wild bees in the city is one of the most critical aspects of urban wildlife maintenance. You can do so by placing wooden planters filled with bee-friendly plants (for example, purple flowers, as bees can see purple more clearly than any other colour) and bee hotels for solitary bees to nest in.
Take part in reforestation actions - Is there a tree- or flower-planting project in your city? Ask your local environmental protection organisation for more details.
Consider initiating a public activity - Initiate greening the rooftop of the bus stop closest to you or the traffic refuge in front of your house with wildflowers, herbs, and maybe a little bush.
Participate in wildlife conservation actions - Browse the net for urban biodiversity initiatives in Europe or check out blog.3bee.com to find some:
The European Commission has launched the Urban Nature platform to provide guidance and knowledge for supporting urban nature and biodiversity.
If you reside in the UK, you can get broad information on urban wildlife and how to support it through the Natural History Museum nhm.ac.uk website or participate in the urbanbees.co.uk project, which aims to create urban habitats for bees.
If you reside in the UK, Italy, Portugal, Romania, or Spain, check out the theeuropeannaturetrust.com
initiatives for wildlife conservation.euronatur.org/en is based in Germany, but you can donate to support its actions from anywhere in the world.
Learn more
Check our sources: Bibliography →
