TY - JOUR

T1 - Gardening for wildlife: A mixed-methods exploration of the factors underlying engagement in wildlife-friendly gardening

AU - García Antúnez, Oriol

AU - Lindgaard, Jens

AU - Lampinen, Jussi

AU - Olafsson, Anton Stahl

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - 1. Private domestic gardens have immense potential to contribute to urban biodi-versity conservation. However, they are divided into small private plots and man-aged individually by garden owners. Therefore, engagement in wildlife-friendly gardening (WFG), which entails alternative management and design choices, re-lies on the individual willingness of each garden owner.2. Using an online survey and qualitative walking interviews with garden owners, our study explores individual internal and external factors underlying engage-ment in WFG. We interpret and reflect on our findings in the context of gardening as a relational practice between people and nature.3. Our findings suggest that motivations for gardening play a central role in how internal and external factors promote or impede WFG. For example, motivations towards organic gardening and learning from nature promote WFG, whereas per-sonal and family care and well- being motivations seem to impede it.4. The perceived and actual garden area, as well as self- reported insufficient knowl-edge and social norms, covary the most with engagement in WFG. Engagement in WFG relates to people's relationships with nature, as embodied in social norms of community acceptance and cohesion, and care and respect for nature and others.5. Future research into pro-environmental behaviours in gardens should adopt more relational approaches that go beyond the individual self and take better account of feedback between individual actions and social relations.

AB - 1. Private domestic gardens have immense potential to contribute to urban biodi-versity conservation. However, they are divided into small private plots and man-aged individually by garden owners. Therefore, engagement in wildlife-friendly gardening (WFG), which entails alternative management and design choices, re-lies on the individual willingness of each garden owner.2. Using an online survey and qualitative walking interviews with garden owners, our study explores individual internal and external factors underlying engage-ment in WFG. We interpret and reflect on our findings in the context of gardening as a relational practice between people and nature.3. Our findings suggest that motivations for gardening play a central role in how internal and external factors promote or impede WFG. For example, motivations towards organic gardening and learning from nature promote WFG, whereas per-sonal and family care and well- being motivations seem to impede it.4. The perceived and actual garden area, as well as self- reported insufficient knowl-edge and social norms, covary the most with engagement in WFG. Engagement in WFG relates to people's relationships with nature, as embodied in social norms of community acceptance and cohesion, and care and respect for nature and others.5. Future research into pro-environmental behaviours in gardens should adopt more relational approaches that go beyond the individual self and take better account of feedback between individual actions and social relations.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - pro-enviornmental behaviour

KW - relational values

KW - socio-ecological systems

KW - Stakeholder engagement

KW - Urban ecology

KW - wildlife-friendly gardening

UR - https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2023/01/28/plain-language-summary-gardening-for-wildlife-in-private-backyards-a-balance-of-resources-knowledge-and-relationships-with-other-people-and-nature/

U2 - 10.1002/pan3.10450

DO - 10.1002/pan3.10450

M3 - Journal article

VL - 5

JO - People and Nature

JF - People and Nature

SN - 2575-8314

IS - 2

M1 - 808-825

ER -