Wildlife gardening: an urban nexus of social and ecological relationships

Abstract

Biodiversity in urban environments continues to decline, alongside diminution of human connections with nature and community. An integrated ethic and practice of caring for one’s human and ecological community could help address these issues. Here, we describe how wildlife gardening can be such a pathway. We provide an overview of related social dynamics and benefits to human well‐being, highlighting a case study that reveals an array of connections and well‐being aspects derived from wildlife gardening, and their relationship with several activities, including time spent in the garden. We outline how positive biodiversity outcomes can be attained through habitat improvement in gardens, and describe how integration of nature and human community stewardship can function across physical and political boundaries when municipal governments and local communities work collaboratively. We contend that wildlife gardening conducted in this manner can involve urban residents in crafting and enacting an intertwined ethic and practice of caring for nature and humanity.