From the Castle Ramparts to the Private Garden
In Denmark, nature organisations and state- and municipality-oriented initiatives therefore increasingly call for insect-friendly garden design and maintenance, both privately and in public, green areas. But after centuries of a historically grounded norm of ‘proper’ gardening, individual citizens have a long way to go to incorporate these sustainable gardening trends.
It takes knowledge to create ideal conditions for insects in the garden, whether you want insect-friendly perennials, shrubs and trees or wild host and nectar plants. The biodiverse garden breaks with the classic, aesthetic garden with exotic flower beds and no weeds as well as with the modern, maintenance-free garden with a clean lawn, tiles, granite chippings and a few fruit trees. Consequently, citizens’ views on biodiverse gardens need to change to ensure comprehensive acceptance and support for greater biodiversity in public and private areas.
A study in perspectives on nature
The project is based on the Who Owns Nature? research project, which in 2021 looked into garden trends, the growing interest in biodiversity among garden owners and how Danes relate to nature and culture within their gardens. We discovered that the shift to a more insect-friendly garden required the citizens to acquire new knowledge about plants, and that the interest in supporting biodiversity was present regardless of age, nature views and the type of garden.
The Nature – up close and personal project investigates how local biodiversity initiatives are experienced by the citizens of the Municipality of Nyborg, and to what extent these initiatives affect their individual garden consumption practices and thereby their focus on biodiversity.
We do this through two sub-projects:
- Play for Learning – learning about insect-friendly plants in schools (acquisition of knowledge)
- From the Castle Ramparts to the Private Garden – meeting wild flowers in the public space (exposure).
Read more here: Who Owns Nature
The project will commence in February 2022, and its questionnaire is currently scheduled to be sent out in September/October 2022. During this time interval, data will also be collected from local and social media.
We expect to have the first results from the questionnaire survey ready in early 2023 and from the media survey around the summer of 2023.
Partners and funding
The project takes place in collaboration with the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, the Municipality of Nyborg, Museums of Eastern Funen and The Agency for Culture and Palaces.
No external funding is currently received.
Contact
Ask about the research: Christina Elvira Dahl, Research Assistant: ced@sam.sdu.dk
Ask about the practicalities: Lotte T. Rasmussen, PR and Communications: ltr@bib.sdu.dk