In conjunction with Action for Wildlife the Jersey Evening Post will undertake, the HOW (Help Our Wildlife) survey, a major study of the Island’s gardens to find out what people are doing to attract wildlife and how successful they are being.
A similar survey in the city of Sheffield discovered there were at least 25,000 ponds and 45,000 nest-boxes in private gardens, playing home and host to thousands of creatures.
The JEP’s nature columnist Mike Stentiford is spearheading the local research and believes the results will be just as impressive.
‘It’s a well known fact that attracting wildlife into the garden provides a perfect opportunity of becoming more directly involved with, and connected to, the natural environment,’ he said.
‘With so many wildlife-attracting plants and timber “”furniture”” at our disposal, a wide variety of birds and animals now find the average garden a very attractive place to live and to visit.
But despite this obvious show of generosity on our part, the actual value afforded wildlife in gardens has largely gone unchecked and unnoticed.’ Mike hopes that the survey – which will be launched in next Saturday’s JEP and is being sponsored by Ransoms Garden Centre – will provide the most accurate picture yet of residents’ interaction with wildlife, and an indication of the population of squirrels, birds and other small creatures.
‘By responding to a simple questionnaire, the end results will, first and foremost, provide an excellent indication as to what practical “”home”” support there is for local wildlife.
We will also discover just how beneficial Jersey gardens are to wildlife and further determine how important they are in comparison to the Island’s more natural habitats.’
