Below shares news and initiatives relating to biological diversity, wellness and gardening.

Using Science to Inform Gardening Decisions This article provides information on how science can help inform our gardening practices when considering longer-term, bigger decisions that consider climate change and biodiversity issues. https://botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/using-science-to-inform-gardening-decisions/

Rain barrel basics: Conserving water but not mosquito habitats Researchers surveyed residential rain barrels to examine the frequency and length of stay of mosquitoes occupying rain barrels and offer preventative measures to effectively keep mosquitoes out. By adopting these preventative measures will reduce potential health risks mosquitoes pose, and ensure rain barrels remain a safe, effective and an environmentally sustainable option for managing storm water runoff and water conservation. To read more visit: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/04/250407173039.htm

A 2 Hour Dose of Nature Each Week Could Make You Happier and Healthier A recent UK study, the first of its kind, examined over 20,000 participants visiting nature for over a week covering a large range of participants from young and old, urban and rural, rich and poor. The study looked at participants visiting open spaces in and around cities and towns, coasts and beaches and the countryside. The study reported that those participants who spent 2 hours in nature were significantly more likely to report better health and well-being compared to those that spent less time outside. Previous studies examining the health benefits of time spent in nature have demonstrated that this reduces anxiety and depression, lowers blood pressure, reduces the risk of other diseases and boosts creativity and cognitive abilities. The author suggests that this recent study could be the first step in developing a new government guideline for a particular amount of time outside similar to the guidelines for exercise. By: Adele Peters in Fast Company, June 13, 2019. Learn more at:  https://getpocket.com/explore/item/a-2-hour-dose-of-nature-each-week-could-make-you-happier-and-healthier?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Could Abandoned Agricultural Lands Helps Save the Planet? Globally, agricultural land is decreasing. Some researchers suggest this change provides an opportunity for ecological restoration to occur, which could help fight climate change and reduce the loss of biodiversity. By: Richard Conniff, December 10, 2019. Explore this at:  https://e360.yale.edu/features/could-abandoned-agricultural-lands-help-save-the-planet

Protecting Bees and Other Pollinators. As of July 1st, 2015 the province of Ontario in Canada became the first jurisdiction in North America to protect bees and other pollinators through new rules to reduce the number of acres planted with neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seeds by 80 per cent by 2017.

Healing Benefits of Forests. “Forest bathing” in Japan taps the healing powers of forests. This article by Florence Williams describes Japan’s 48 official Forest Therapy trails, identified for “shinrin-yoku” (forest bathing) by Japan’s Forestry Agency. Since 2004, Japan’s government has funded about $4 million in forest-bathing research as part of an effort to benefit Japanese wellness and find non-extractive ways to use forests. Within 10 years, the government intends to designate 100 Forest Therapy sites. Visitors here regularly get their blood pressure checked by rangers as part of an effort to provide more ever more data to support the initiative. Click on the following link to read the article Japan’s Forest Bathing Initiative https://www.outsideonline.com/1870381/take-two-hours-pine-forest-and-call-me-morning?page=all

British Study on the Importance of Gardening in Conserving Biodiversity. In Britain, a detailed study was conducted on biodiversity found in town and city gardens and concluded that these gardens offer an important refuge for animals and plants, providing diversity, which wildlife positively responds to. For more information on the study, click: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-untidy-gardens-make-the-best-habitat-for-wildlife-1783396.html

Individual and Community Gardening Initiatives

Halton Garden Week 2024 Cultivates Community Engagement in Sustainable Practices. Here’s an example of municipalities and community groups working collaboratively to educate the public and support sustainable gardening practices. The Halton Garden Week 2024 is open to the public free of charge offering virtual and in-person learning opportunities.  Sustainable gardening topics include: food cultivation, composting techniques, seed preservation, indigenous flora, and fostering pollinator habitats.  Learn more at: https://www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_news/article_ef2cbbe8-e36f-5ef4-80da-02eed7dd6fbf.html

Local couple creating biodiversity through public pollinator gardens. Read about this story at: https://www.kincardinenews.com/news/local-news/local-couple-creating-biodiversity-through-public-pollinator-gardens

How Urban Gardening Contributes to Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-urban-gardening-contributes-to-sustainable-development-goals-785df8d72af5

Contest for Gardens Supporting Biodiversity, Ireland, 2018. Like many places, Ireland’s native wildlife is under threat, and like other places there is recognition of gardens becoming an essential habitat to protecting declining biodiversity. One such initiative in Ireland recognizing this is the partnership between Corrin Hill Ice Cream and BirdWatch, which have launched a campaign to raise awareness about the simple steps people can implement to care for the environment by making the most of biodiversity in their gardens. Corrin Hill and Birdwatch believe that people who are making efforts to protect wildlife deserve recognition for their efforts and so they have set up a contest for anyone to nominate a garden, which supports biodiversity. There are five different categories for entries: suburban garden, balcony, public space, rural garden and school garden. For each category, gardens will be shortlisted and regional and national winners will be selected. Prizes included award plaques and funds to spend on the garden itself. For more information about this initiative and how to enter, visit: https://www.birdwatchireland.ie/News/BiodiversityGardenAwards/tabid/375/Default.aspx

Rooftop Gardening and Food Security. “Syrian refugees find solace in rooftop gardens” by: Olivia Alabaster. This inspiring article highlights the efforts of Syrian refugees in Lebanon in growing their own food on rooftops to save money, improve nutrition and using gardening as a form of therapy. To read more about this story, click: Syrian Refugees Creating Rooftop Gardens  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/syrian-refugees-find-solace-rooftop-gardens-160726084911769.html

Community Food Garden. Oakville, Ontario, Canada. At the Anglican Church of the Incarnation in Oakville, planting a patch of habitat for pollinators went hand-in-hand with planting a new community food garden. In partnership with the Greening Sacred Spaces program, their new cooperative garden is open to everyone at no cost. The goal is to grow food while restoring people’s connection with nature and each other. The harvest will be divided amongst volunteers and with the local food bank.

The Pragya Project on Conserving the Herbal Wealth of the Himalayas. The Himalayas contain a wealth of some of the most rare and valuable species of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) on earth, of which several are now rare and endangered. Since local people do not have access to conventional medicine, these MAPs are very valuable to their well-being, as they use many plants for Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani, Tibetan and Allopathic systems of medicine as well as using plants for other useful products. The region’s plants also provide a food source for the region’s local fauna. One of the key elements of the project is the Botanical Garden in the Eastern Himalayas, which targets 30 rare and endangered medicinal aromatic plants for conservation and for research to propagate and cultivate the species. The Botanic garden involves several other activities, including establishing cooperatives of medicinal plant growers in different districts and encouraging women to grow home gardens of aromatic plants to make many useful products, whereby local women can participate in local level processing and sale of home garden produce. For more information about the Pragya Project, visit their website: https://www.pragya.org Article on: “Sustainable Management of the Herbal Wealth of the Himalayas: prioritising biodiversity for conservation and development” by: Gargi Banerji, Sejuti Basu at: https://www.pragya.org/doc/Pragya_Herbal-Wealth.pdf

The High Line, New York City. In New York City, neighbourhood residents and the City of New York built a public park on a historic freight rail line above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side area. Established in 2009, the High Line provides a hybrid public space where visitors can experience nature, art and design. The High Line’s gardens have been designed by drawing upon the feelings of being in a wild space. The various gardens have been carefully designed and include hundreds of plant species that capture the patterns of woodlands and grasslands. There are over a dozen varied gardens, whereby each represent a different environment, adapted to the specific microclimate of the sun, shade, water and wind created by the cityscape around it. To learn more about this initiative, visit: https://www.thehighline.org/gardens/

School Gardening Initiatives

Here are a few examples of how a school can start a biodiverse garden.

A Guide to Schoolyard Naturalization, Ontario, Canada.The Hamilton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program (HHWSP) has partnered with Brookville Public School to create a “living classroom of unique ecosystems to enhance the learning experience of its students”. The guide explains schoolyard naturalization and guides school staff through the planning and implementation processes and shares resources and contacts locally and provincially (for Ontario, Canada). The guide includes: how to start; funding; design; installation and maintenance; linking the project to school curriculum; health and safety; and allergies and toxins. To review the guide, click: HamiltonHaltonSchoolyardNaturalizationGuide

Eco-Schools Program -This international program began in the early 1990s and continues to be a global model for environmental education and sustainability helping schools improve their schoolyards and local communities. The program combines hands on learning experiences, and takes an inclusive, participatory approach involving students, teachers, and the local community. The program includes three structural elements – The Seven Steps Framework, the Eco-Schools Themes, and Assessment for the Green Flag. Schools can work towards three levels: bronze award, silver award and green flag. While biodiversity is one of the  nine eco-school themes of the program, there is emphasis on how all themes are interconnected and positively impact each other.

Manchester, UK School Grounds Biodiversity Project The following link provides more information on how one city, Manchester, UK and it’s schools are creating biodiversity on their school grounds through the Eco-Schools program.  It includes: curriculum links; how to get started on your school project; activity and project ideas; funding; and useful contacts and resources: UK_EcoSchoolsProgram For more information on eco-schools, click: Eco Schools Global  http://www.ecoschools.global/

Biodiversity Action Plan – County Borough of Bridgend, UK. Here’s an example of how one community in the UK a Biodiversity Action Plan to assist schools in developing their school grounds to contribute to biodiversity and for learning and teaching about local wildlife. Visit the link for this Action Plan: Schools’ Biodiversity Action Plan or check out:Biodiversity Action Plan for Schools

Clapham Primary School, South Australia. Check out the re-vegetation project that Clapham Primary School initiated to increase biodiversity of their 460 square metre lawned area with indigenous plants. The intent is to create a window into the Hills Face Grey Box Grassy Woodland biome via a nature corridor and to use this space to foster outdoor learning. To learn about their process, outcomes and resources, click: ClaphamPrimarySchoolAustraliaBiodiversityProject. For more information, visit the school’s website: School website: Clapham Primary School http://www.claphamps.sa.edu.au/web/

Hospital Healing Gardens

CHEO, hospital in Ottawa, Canada is global leader in pediatric care and research. They created their healing earth garden initiative, designed “to meet physical, psychological and social needs of patients, their families and the staff who care for them. The Garden will include an activity area, a sensory and exploration area and a common area to retreat to and renew energy. It will be designed to stimulate all the senses.” Key to the garden is making is a fun and creative outlet for children and youth in support of their healing and rehabilitation. Here’s some examples of how they have incorporating the healing benefits of gardens while supporting biological diversity through working with our senses.

Sight: Bright colors make great subjects for drawings and paintings during play e.g. sunflowers, marigold and chocolate ruffles’ plant.Smell: Smells for children can often trigger associations. In a garden they serve additional purposes such as attracting insects to the flowers or deterring pests from eating the leaves e.g. curry plant, lavender, chocolate cosmos, and sweet pea. Taste: Fortunately many herbs can grow in our climate and these can be incorporated into our nutritional programs e.g. spearmint, rosemary, chives, and wild strawberries. Touch: Leaves vary between plants; from rough to smooth, furry to spiky. Every texture has a purpose.

• Lamb’s ears: its furry leaves protect the plant from hot and cold weather.
• Houseleek: it has rigid leaves and its rosette forms a succulent to help store water.
• African sundew: a meat-eating plant that catches its prey using a glue-like substance on its leaves.

Sound: Birds singing, bees buzzing and wind rustling in the plants encourages children to listen to all the sounds of nature.  Greater quaking grass: its flowers rustle in the wind.

• Love-in-a-mist: bright blue flowers with puffy seed-heads that rattle when shaken.
• Bamboo: bamboo canes are great for making wind-chimes (a great craft for kids!).

For more information, click on :CHEO’s Healing Earth Garden  http://www.cheo.on.ca/en/newsroom?newsid=399

Other Initiatives

Bee City Canada is a charitable organization with the goal to educate Canadians about the importance of pollinators and to inspire action to ensure pollinator habitat protection. The organization supports collaborative efforts of communities and organizations committed to helping pollinators by offering four designations. These designations are: Bee Cities, Bee Partners, Bee Schools and Bee Campuses. For more information, click on: https://beecitycanada.org/about-us/

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