17 September 2009 New DIY book will help bring biodiversity to your backyard

A do-it-yourself book with a clear eco message has been produced by two Lincoln University scientists who hope it will lead to positive environmental change in Canterbury “for our future and our children’s future”.

Al Check and Mike Bowie, both ecologists, have produced “Backyard Biodiversity in Canterbury”,  a well compiled, attractively illustrated, 20-page handbook detailing how to bring back nature to your backyard.

“Biodiversity  -  biological diversity  -  is the diversity of living things,” says Mike, who is a Senior Technical Officer in Lincoln University’s Ecology Department.

“Our book describes the benefits of having a diverse range of plants and animals in order to form healthy ecosystems.

“Benefits from healthy ecosystems include improved pollination, pest control, water filtration, as well as the enhancement of cultural and aesthetic values providing a sense of identity and place for all New Zealanders.

“By choosing to grow native plants in our backyards, school grounds, community areas  and rural landscapes, a positive environmental change can occur.”

The authors point out that plants, animals,  insects and birds interact together in  communities within physical environments,  and that such communities and environments are not confined to rivers, forests, bush, tussock and wetlands but include, very importantly,  suburban backyards.

“Through the book we’re trying to encourage urban dwellers and rural landowners to become more ecologically conscious and aware of the role they can play in the preservation of our natural heritage,” says co-author Al Check.  

“New Zealand’s biodiversity is extremely vulnerable and to conserve this biodiversity New Zealanders need to value it.  That’s a process that can start right in your own home environment.“

In do-it-yourself style the book tells readers how to attract native birds, insects, lizards, and other beneficial creatures into the environment of the suburban backyard.

It talks about how native plants act as filters and stabilisers along waterways; how worms play an important role in soil formation, drainage, aeration and nutrient cycling; how bees act as plant pollinators.

It covers shelter belts and hedges and lists native plants ideal for shelter. It tells how planting cabbage trees will contribute immensely to the conservation of birds, lizards and invertebrates.

The book also has an instructive section on ways to simulate habitats through the use of artificial refuges such as wooden discs, hollowed out blocks of wood called weta motels, and pieces of roofing material strategically placed around the home garden.

The final pages  provide a list of resources and web links related to the overall theme of the publication.

The book grew out of a need for such a manual perceived by Mike during his years of experience as an ecologist and actioned through a Lincoln University Summer Scholarship awarded to Al, who is originally from Blenheim but has been a Cantabrian for the past 10 years. Al completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Lincoln University in ecological conservation and now works for the Department of Conservation on Stewart Island.

The authors see their book and its biodiversity message as consistent with Lincoln’s educational role as a specialist, land-based university.

Copies of “Backyard Biodiversity in Canterbury“ are available from the web at http://livingheritage.lincoln.ac.nz/nodes/view/2628  or email Mike Bowie at  mike.bowie@lincoln.ac.nz for a hard copy.