French Ecologist Advises Letting Gardens Grow Wild

Lucile Dewulf, an ecologist with the Île-de-France Regional Biodiversity Agency in France, suggests the simplest way to boost garden biodiversity is to intervene as little as possible. Dewulf argues that abandoning gardens to nature allows them to flourish as havens for wildlife. She details six concrete steps for gardeners willing to compromise between neatness and biodiversity, starting with eliminating pesticides—90% of French waterways are contaminated, with amateur gardeners contributing a quarter of that pollution.

Diversifying plant life, planting local species, and reducing lawn mowing all help create varied habitats. A natural, diverse hedgerow roughly 20 meters long can shelter around 100 animal species. Dewulf cautions against artificial shelters, which often cater more to human observation than actual animal needs.

While a pond can greatly increase biodiversity, the article notes that even seemingly benign actions, like installing bird feeders, can disrupt natural ecosystems. The work of understanding and supporting garden biodiversity continues, as researchers study the complex relationships within these spaces.