Garden spaces can be used to reconnect to the local ecosystem

Part of my suburban plot in Dar es Salaam region has become a certified nature reserve. That allows me to put up an official-looking sign, which makes it easier to explain why my ‘garden’ sometimes looks a bit shaggy.

A Certified Wildlife Habitat is defined as a garden, yard, or other natural area registered with the U. S. National Wildlife Federation as suitable habitat for native species. It must be a natural area with stable sources of food, water, shelter for a few species of wildlife, and areas in which they can raise their young. It must provide a suitable habitat for one or more species of butterflies, bees, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals or other animals. A Certified Wildlife Habitat must be sustainable over time.

The requirements to qualify for Certified Wildlife Habitat status are:

• Food: Native plants provide food eaten by a variety of wildlife. A minimum of three food sources, such as seeds, berries, fruits, or nectar are needed.
• Water: All animals need water to survive and some need it for bathing and breeding as well. At least one source of water, which can be as small as a ground level birdbath, should be available at all times.
• Shelter: Wildlife needs places to take shelter from bad weather and places to hide from predators or hunt for food. At least two sheltered areas such as a brush pile, wooded area, or rock pile are required.
• Places to raise young: Wildlife needs resources to reproduce, and to protect and nourish their young. Therefore bushes, vines, and/or small trees should be available.
• Sustainable practices: The yard or garden should be maintained in natural ways to ensure that the air, water, and soil remain clean.

Having a certified wildlife habitat means you are managing your habitat in a sustainable way. The NWF asks that you participate in at least two of the three categories which are: limiting water use, controlling exotic species, and using organic practices.

Limiting your use of water can be done using plants that require no extra water (such as most native plants in their ecosystem), capturing rainwater, using mulch, and as a last resort using drip irrigation.

Preventing the spread of invasive, non-native species is accomplished by removing non-native plants and planting native plants. This is usually a continuous process because in many areas there are so many exotic species they blow in with the wind and with birds. Likewise, however, birds can bring in native species from afar.

Organic practices include composting , eliminating pesticides, and eliminating chemical fertilizers

I have added one additional rule: human beings are not allowed to go into the nature reserve except with a specific reason.

A Certified Wildlife Habitat does not have to be big. Mine is only 1/3 of a 30’ by 90’ plot – the designated habitat is an approximate square measuring 30 x 30 metres.

It is not difficult to register as a Certified Wildlife Habitat (https://www.nwf.org/CertifiedWildlifeHabitat/register). My garden is mini-refuge number 57857. More than 150,000 spaces are already Certified Wildlife Habitats. It costs $20.

My garden is also designated as an Advanced Certified Wildlife Habitat – which means it is especially friendly to birds.

Meeting their simple criteria ensures that the habitat elements needed for birds to thrive are provided. It works. Because of the native plants growing here, and the niches they create, in this small space we have seen more than 65 bird species and at least 17 species have nested and raised their young.  In a much larger space with plants non-native to the ecosystem, you might see zero birds, except those flying overhead.

People wonder why bother? Part of the answer is that where I live, in the Swahilian eco-system, 90% is already destroyed. The remaining remnants are very fragile. This has become a normal state of affairs in most parts of the world. It is up to us to repair these ecosystems. Wherever we are, we must use the remaining spaces, even small ones, to weave the original ecosystem back into being. Turning your garden space into a mini-refuge through planting native species is a way to think globally, act locally and re-connect our own piece of the Earth — our yards and gardens — back into the ecosystem.