How can I contribute to preserving biodiversity?

Hey!

A rich plant and animal life is needed for biological diversity and is justified by the ecosystem services it gives rise to. Pollination is a key factor for plants and animals, including humans, to survive.

What can you do to contribute to biodiversity in your garden and when you shop for food?

In Sweden there is a lot of land and gardens and when I think about what many people can contribute on is it to contribute a little bit of their garden.

As insects die in chemically sprayed cultivations, we should not contribute to that type of cultivation. Only buy food from sustainable companies.

Did you know that Swedish potatoes are the most sprayed crop in Sweden? Swedish potatoes are grown on 1% of arable land but account for 40% of the total use of chemical sprays against fungal diseases. A Swede eats an average of 80 kg of potatoes per year. If all Swedes only ate unsprayed potatoes, 95 tons of pesticides would not get into our nature.

No one can do everything, but many can do a little to help reverse the trend of declining biodiversity.

• Do not buy food and foodstuffs that have been chemically sprayed or artificially fertilized.
• Buy local, environmentally friendly or organic products from companies you know are sustainable.
• Ask, talk and question for increased awareness of biodiversity with your surroundings.
• Plant trees, shrubs and flowers that are insect friendly, meaning flowers that insects can get pollen and nectar from and different types of flowers that bloom from early spring to late summer/autumn.
• Let part of the lawn become a meadow.
• Have beehives, insect hotels, birdhouses, old tree trunks and compost so that there are nesting places for insects in your garden.

Start acting now if you haven't done it before, don't just think that others will fix this, but it has to be worked on from all different sides, both big and small. Your choices make a difference.

Etc. Chatarina Berglund