Planting plants in urban areas can have a positive impact on local biodiversity in just a few years, with plant choices contributing to insect abundance even in the short term, researchers from the University of Melbourne have found.
The more trees there are in an urban area, the cleaner the air, making that area a better place to spend time. The park remains one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations for residents and visitors alike, whether it’s strolling down London’s Hampstead Heath or enjoying an ice cream in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens.
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What garden owners and gardeners less often consider is how they can use their small spaces to maximize biodiversity, and how they can transform even a small piece of urban land into a welcoming space for wildlife. This is especially true when planting plants. Varies.
paradox
The study, led by Australian ecologist and entomologist Luis Mata, builds on research showing that native plants are particularly good at encouraging biodiversity.
Mata and his team sowed native seeds in a small space in Melbourne previously described as a “messy lawn with just one tree” and turned it into a rich and diverse plant community.
Within three years, they reported that the insects had grown enormously in number and range. In fact, all the species they predicted would now be encouraged into that space existed.
Native plants are plants that existed before human settlement. Of course, promoting biodiversity in urban areas is paradoxical. Because urbanization is never good for insects and urbanization is not the best scenario at all.
Diversity
This means that there are always small green spaces within cities that can be used to foster biodiversity.
“It will take a really long time to restore species diversity, but this study is concrete evidence that it can happen in just three years,” says Mata. “It’s a huge incentive for urban gardeners to think, ‘Here I can plant something that will encourage diversity and create a beautiful space.’
“The 10 native plant species found in Melbourne in this study were thought to drive the most insect activity and thus biodiversity. Some insects appear on a variety of plants, while others appear only on certain plants. Therefore, as the types of plants become more diverse, the types of insects also become more diverse.”
Interaction
He added: “We used an ‘interactive approach.’ This simply means looking at the number of interactions between insects and plants. Three years later, we discovered that there is a more complex, interesting and fine-tuned integration between plants and insects than at first. This ‘ecological depth insight’ provides more information than simply counting insects.”
The team’s research, which sends a signal to all local governments that it is possible to transform small green spaces and quickly attract biodiversity, was funded by the City of Melbourne.
The team’s further research is being carried out at other urban sites and is specifically looking at butterfly and bee biodiversity through indigenous cultivation. Results are expected to be released later this year.
This author
Charlotte Ina Sterland is a musician, journalist and rock and tree climber. She co-founded Shear Rock, a sustainable wool fabric company, and is interested in sustainable technologies.
