If they are designed in a biodiversity-friendly way, private gardens can provide a habitat for plants, insects, birds and other animals. By incorporating near-natural features such as ponds, wildflower meadows, shrubs and deadwood, gardens can play a significant role in preserving biodiversity and improving the urban climate. As the loss of suitable habitats is a major problem for many species, gardens can provide valuable alternative refuges. Even if a single garden appears small, many together form a large networked area, with the individual gardens functioning like stepping stones.

Garden owners can now use the biodiversity index to test the extent to which their garden contributes to biodiversity. "This is the first test to use scientific findings in a simple, user-friendly format," explains Ms Felgentreff. She conducts her research alongside Markus Bernhardt-R?mermann at the University of Jena, the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research Halle-Jena-Leipzig, and the Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function. "The Garden Biodiversity Index is designed so that even laypeople can carry it out independently, without specialist knowledge — they just need to visually inspect their own garden."
The index, developed by the researchers, evaluates 15 clearly defined and easily recognisable garden features, from hedges to open sandy areas, and weighs them according to their contribution to biodiversity. This results in the 'biodiversity score'. At the same time, the test offers concrete tips on how to enhance areas ecologically. The test is available online free of charge as part of the "gARTENreich" project materials.

As part of the interdisciplinary gARTENreich project, researchers and practice partners developed strategies and information materials for designing nature-oriented gardens. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (I?W), the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), NaturGarten e.V., a higher education institution in Berlin, the city of Gütersloh, and the municipality of Aumühle. It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA). A wide range of materials have been developed as part of the project and are now freely available to garden owners. Local authorities can also include these materials on their websites.

Further information on the project and information for local authorities:
www.nabu.de/gartenreichExternal link (German only)
www.gartenreich-projekt.deExternal link (German only)

https://www.nabu.de/imperia/md/content/nabude/verbraucher-tipps/240627-nabu-gartenreich-selbsttest.pdfExternal link (German only)