IT’S International Biodiversity Day today (Saturday ) and sustainability experts have come up with 10 ten things you can do to “love life” and boost biodiversity in the Isle of Man.
“People often feel powerless when they hear about plants and animals being made extinct,” said Ed Gillespie, co-founder of Futerra, “but the good news is it’s easy to give biodiversity a boost in your own back yard.”
“We can all love life, make a difference and raise a smile by doing a few simple and fun things to nurture nature at home.”
Futerra has worked closely with the UN’s Environment Programme to develop the messaging for International Year of Biodiversity, to help communicate biodiversity in an engaging and inspiring way.
Grow
1. Be lazy with your lawn. Don't mow it too often and let the edges run wild – it’s better for the beasties.
2. Bee friendly. Plant flowers and herbs that attract bees and butterflies to your garden like buddleia, rosemary and honeysuckle.
3. Start an urban jungle. Do your bit even if you don’t have a garden by planting a windowbox or guerilla gardening a neglected patch of land in a street nearby.
4. Help a hungry hedgehog. Create a log pile in a shady part of your garden where creepy crawlies can make a home and fix a free lunch for birds and furry things.
Share
5. Get your kids wild about wildlife. Buy a guide to local plants, birds, bugs and animals and take them out to explore local habitats.
6. Love life and share a smile. Get involved in a community garden or sign up for an allotment in your town or city.
7. Get your hands dirty and plant a tree. If you don’t have a garden join a local RSPB or Woodland Trust group and get involved with conservation work in your local area.
Do
8. Check the wood for the trees. If you’re doing DIY this weekend make sure you only buy wood certified as sustainable with the FSC or PEFC labels.
9. Make your garden green. Pot your plants with peat-free compost and save marshy wetlands (where peat comes from) for the birds and the bugs.
10. There are plenty more fish in the sea, or so they say. Help keep it that way by avoiding overfished species like tuna or cod and opting for mackerel and pollack instead.
