Mentioned on the ABC's Gardening Show on 19th February this year was Gardens for Wildlife which I think is a Victorian effort to encourage people to plant native plants in their gardens so that patches of remnant bushland can be connected. According to the programme, these connections provide wildlife with corridors along which species can
- escape wildfires
- establish new populations
- increase genetic diversity thus increasing ecological resilience
- reduce extinctions
Species local to the areas which are being extended are best because they
- protect the genetic integrity of Australian plant communities
- are adapted to local conditions &, therefore, more readily survive than nonlocal species
- provide higher quality habitat for wildlife since the plants & wildlife have evolved with each other
- are cheaper to maintain because, being adapted to local conditions, they require less water
As well as Gardens for Wildlife in Victoria &, I've discovered, Tasmania I note that the ABC's Saturday gardening show in SA is now promoting wildlife friendly gardens.
I'm beginning to wonder if we've reached such a state with our destruction of natural habitats that we're now becoming alert to the need to do what we can where we live to protect & even restore the wildlife & natural habitats we have left. Perhaps we are now at, as corporate language would say, a tipping point.
Admittedly, we have wildlife & natural habitat hostile policies in Tasmania (establishing wilderness lodges for well-heeled tourists) & SA (opening national parks for tourism development) but the questions remain: are we seeing more people now willing to act in restoring the beauty & wonders of Australia's natural environment? Can we reverse the policies of making money from wilderness to policies & actions which protect & restore what remains of wilderness & valuing Nature for its own sake rather than for the money we can make from it?
Yep, its becoming more mainstream to hear people talking about and doing more positive things to try to preserve and even regenerate a bit of what has been lost. There are some positive things happening out there - thanks for sharing this news.