Gardens and allotments form a major part of the land area within the urban conerbation of Sheffield. They are made up predominantly of grass lawns, usually closely mown and often fertilised, with extensive areas of herbs, shrubs and trees. While a significant part of the vegetation is native in origin, a large part of it is non-native, and of varied value to wildlife. Some plants, such as buddleia and ivy, may provide valuable necter sources, and others, such as soft fruit, may provide food for birds and small mamals. A number of declining species, such as song thrush, great crested newts and even crayfish can be found in gardens. Some field edge and hedgerow species may use gardens at the edge of or alongside remnant habitats inside the built up area. Bats, particularly the most common species, the pipistrelle commonly roost in buildings and will feed in adjacent areas wherever there are sufficient insects. Many urban people will have the majority of their contact with wildlife in garden or urban greenspace.
Sheffield district contains a large area of urban and sub-urban residential housing which incorporates a significant area of 'garden', or managed greenspace. The exact extent of gardens in Sheffield is unknown, but some estimation of the extent could be ascertained from aerial photographs or large scale maps. Garden habitats are widespread throughout the country.
The main threats to wildlife in gardens are:
Maintain the current extent of urban gardens and allotments within the
Sheffield District
Ensure appropriate provision for new gardens/allotments is include in new
development
Target - All new development should include x% provision for gardens
Raise awareness amongst decision makers and the general public about the value and importance of gardens and allotments to the biodiversity of the district
Objective of action |
Proposed Actions |
Required Partners |
| Raise awareness | Produce/distribute promotional literature giving practical advice on wildlife gardening addressing fears about untidiness and safety (Someone else must have done this - identify source and distribute?) Areas with differing sizes of garden could be targeted with different advice | LA, Sponsors, Garden Centres, community groups, wildlife groups, SWAP, academics? |
| Promote the construction of garden water features | ||
| Encourage work to demonstrate the value of gardens to biodiversity | ||
| Conserve the current extent of habitat | Survey the extent of the habitat (from maps/photos. Identify areas with 'garden deprivation'. Target these areas for the creation of urban greenspace. | LA, Wildlife groups, developers, LA planning dept. |
| Promote the provision of reasonable garden space in new developments, appropriate design to maximise patch size (gardens back-to-back, backing onto other greenspace), links to other habitats ('green corridors'), appropriate landscaping, and the provision of new greenspace through planning gain/agreements |