Council tax, water bills or resource aid can be used to reduce costs for sustainable gardening.
New research from the University of Sheffield shows that homeowners will be rewarded for their sustainable gardening efforts, promoting a better urban landscape.
Gardens are becoming increasingly important in the fight against the severe effects of climate change, and if urban gardens have a sustainable garden, there are many benefits for the environment and communities.
Encouraging more farmers to use environmentally friendly techniques
Sustainable gardening not only provides good habitats for wildlife but also improves local air quality, health and well-being, giving people the opportunity to grow their own food. own, connect with nature and reduce energy bills by better insulating buildings.
However, in order to properly maintain gardens and crops, financial incentives must be considered. Researchers recommend that policy makers provide incentives, such as council tax or water rebates. This encourages gardeners to use environmentally friendly techniques.
Cities have lost around 50% of their ‘green’ gardens in the last two years
Professor Ross Cameron, leader of the study, said: “Gardens make up a third of all our cities and are vital areas in terms of maintaining our homes and urban areas. cool in summer, absorb rain to prevent flooding and provide great shelter for wildlife.
“Gardens need to be green and full of plants to benefit the local environment, and some types of gardens are better than others.
“The bad thing is that many gardens are not really green and some aspects of garden design can be very damaging to the city. We have painted them for the roof of the car, or to give to a sterile patio area; things that increase the temperature of the city and increase the risk of water.
Ecosystem services of countries
However, not all gardens are good for our health and our environment. The sustainable field should be adjusted for countries.
For example, gardens dominated by non-permanent surfaces, such as concrete pavers and small plants and wildlife habitats (‘Grey’) can provide ecosystem services .
On the other hand, plants that have little diversity and are intensively managed (‘Intensive’) provide intermediate ecosystem services.
Gardens with a high proportion of plants, low humidity and other resources, and mimicking natural vegetation or transitional ecotones (‘Green’ gardens) will increase local ecosystem services.
Other benefits that environmental policy makers can make include banning environmentally harmful substances, such as pesticides; or activities such as laying astroturf.
What incentives can policy makers provide to keep gardens green?
- Offer financial incentives such as reductions in council tax or water bills – for householders who have more than 50% of their garden planted.
- Provide financial incentives for sustainable gardening, such as planting or maintaining trees in gardens, with reasonable options based on garden size.
- Prevent or limit the features that damage the environmental processes, such as having a maximum that can cover and limit synthetic pesticides for use in the home garden.
- Realize that gardens with most plants act as health centers and that planning processes must have the necessary requirements to include and protect healthy planting areas.
“Many residents quickly realized the value of their home gardens during the pandemic lockdown”
Professor Helen Woolley, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield, said: “The value of this research is to show the value of a landscape and how it relates to socio- different environment.
“Many residents quickly realized the value of their home gardens during the pandemic lockdown, and this paper builds on and reinforces what we’ve learned. It’s important that people look planners and planners.”