Creating a better connection between people and nature is the first step in bringing animals back to our cities.
In the grassy woods of the Adelaide Hills Barossa Valley, a small fluffy bird, no bigger than a ping pong ball, hops along an unmarked path – the rare fairywren. A proud puffing breast of sea feathers, perhaps from being crowned Australia’s bird of the year so many times. The striking blue cap adorning its head in contrast to the muted green and brown of the ground is hard to miss – an encouraging result of the South Australian government’s conservation efforts.
But to the south-west of the city of Adelaide lies a less habitable land for the little blue birds. Cities are hotspots for plants and animals threatened with extinction. The habitats of some of the most endangered plants, animals and even entire ecosystems are being destroyed at an alarming rate to accommodate urban sprawl. Urbanization in Australia has grown steadily since 2002, reaching its highest growth rate in 2020. And it is likely to continue to grow as we clear the landscape to make room for homes, freeways, parking lots car and pools in the backyard.
As a result, Australian species such as the koala are disappearing before our eyes. So are the ones you may not have heard of like mighty owls, grass earless dragon, the southern brown bandicoot. Or wild flowers like sunshine diuris orchids and button wrinklewort.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Creating urban environments that conserve biodiversity through careful planning, design and architecture can restore nature to our cities. With some policy rethinking and smart designs, cities can become safe havens for species to thrive and recover.
An important first step is to change the way nature is considered in urban planning. Instead of treating nature as a constraint, or a ‘problem’ to deal with, it can be a valuable asset and opportunity. This is a valuable resource that can be preserved and enhanced at all stages of planning and design. This means careful regulation to ensure the protection of remaining natural assets – from patches of vegetation to a single tree. Otherwise, it is very easy for plants to be cut to make way for development.
Mitigating the impacts of development and creating a better connection between people and nature is the first step in biodiversity-sensitive urban designs. New buildings should check for threatened ecological species in the area, and maintain existing native plants and vegetation as much as possible during development.
Working with developers, designers, councils, community groups and Traditional Owners to select target species will help conservation. Species may be selected on the basis that they are charismatic or culturally significant. Or that they provide an important ecosystem service such as pollination. The cities of Melbourne and Adelaide, for example, have specifically selected plants that improve the habitats of birds such as the rare fairywren.
Cities can be hostile places for plants and animals. The next step is to consider how they have food, shelter and water to survive – away from threats and predators. In many cases, planting native plants can provide needed food and shelter. In addition, new solutions, such as biodiverse green roofs, habitat boxes and insect hotels can also provide food and shelter for different animals in cities. Stormwater runoff that can negatively impact native plants and animals such as frogs can be reduced through vegetated swales and rain gardens. Space is highly contested in cities so finding places where plants can benefit people and biodiversity is important.
Installing bird-friendly glass can stop the death or injury of bird collisions and wildlife-friendly lighting is designed to be safe for light-sensitive species like moths. Attaching bird nest boxes to the exterior walls of buildings provides safe homes and encourages breeding. Road underpasses also provide safety for animals from vehicles.
The nature of cities delivers a raft of additional benefits for endangered species and people. Local biodiversity creates a unique sense of place and is an important opportunity to connect with and build respect for First Nations history and culture. ‘Everyday nature’ provides an incredible range of physical and mental health benefits and helps make our cities more resilient to extreme weather events, such as waves of heat, storms and floods. While remaining vegetation, parkland and waterways can be core elements of the ecological network, biodiversity-sensitive urban design also emphasizes the potential for the built components of our cities to provide critical resource for other species. Other opportunities to engage with nature for people and other species include streetscapes, backyards, green walls, green roofs, roundabouts, pop-up-parks, school grounds, transportation routes and office building grounds.
(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
