New practical guide to promoting biodiversity in urban gardens
The BioDivHubs project has published its catalogue of measures: ‘Gardening for greater biodiversity in the city – A catalogue with instructions for measures to promote biodiversity’. The publication is now available as a printed edition and as a free e-book from TUM.University Press. The aim of the catalogue is to support gardeners, city dwellers and committed initiatives in implementing targeted measures to increase biodiversity in urban areas. Whether in private gardens, community gardens or public green spaces, the measures presented offer practical and scientifically sound recommendations that promote biodiversity and contribute to the ecological enhancement of urban habitats.
Gardeners shape biological diversity in the city
"Gardens are places where we can encounter nature directly – and actively help to shape it," says the BioDivHubs project team. "Gardeners play a central role in maintaining urban ecosystems and preserving urban biodiversity. Our goal is to support this potential with practical and easily implementable measures. This catalogue is a call to take action and take the first steps, to be creative, to make mistakes, to learn together and to exchange experiences in order to make our urban ecosystems sustainable and promote biodiversity."
The catalogue of measures is aimed at anyone who wants to promote biodiversity in their environment – regardless of prior knowledge or size of area. The recommendations range from selecting insect-friendly plants and creating flowering areas, diverse hedges, green facades, deadwood structures or sand and stone structures to building nesting aids and designing natural ponds. Existing knowledge about the impact on biodiversity was taken into account when developing the measures. They are based on findings from ecological research in community gardens and scientific literature. These research findings were combined with the many years of practical experience of gardeners from community gardens.
The catalogue is the result of the ‘BioDivHubs – Biodiversity in the Neighbourhood’ project, which brings together gardening enthusiasts, neighbourhoods, scientists and civil society organisations to jointly develop solutions for greater biodiversity in urban nature. The partners in this project, which is funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, are the BürgerStiftung München, Green City e.V., the Münchner Umwelt-Zentrum e.V. in the ÖBZ in cooperation with Ackermannbogen e.V., the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
About the BioDivHubs project:
‘Biodiversity in the neighbourhood – gardeners and residents working together with civil society organisations, scientists and other urban stakeholders to promote greater biological diversity in urban nature’ (BioDivHubs for short) is a transdisciplinary project funded by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) as part of the Federal Biological Diversity Programme with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).
Further information is available at: www.biodivhubs.net
Contact for press enquiries:
BioDivHubs Project Team
Email: info@biodivhubs.net
Website: www.biodivhubs.net
Valentina Arros
David Schoos