Wildlife

Garden Wildlife Welfare: Ponds, Log Piles, and Native Plants

Overview of garden wildlife welfare through habitat provision including ponds, log piles, and native planting.

Key Facts

Garden wildlife habitat creation provides welfare benefits for dozens of species
A single garden pond supports frogs, toads, newts, insects, and birds
Log piles provide habitat for beetles, hedgehogs, slow worms, and many invertebrates
Native plants provide welfare benefits through food provision for specific invertebrates
Connected wildlife-friendly gardens function as green corridors at landscape scale

Welfare Considerations

Garden wildlife welfare through habitat creation is an accessible and impactful individual action. Wildlife ponds, log piles, and native planting provide welfare benefits for a wide range of species. Connected wildlife-friendly gardens create habitat corridors that enable wildlife movement across urban and suburban landscapes. The cumulative welfare benefit of millions of wildlife-friendly gardens is significant at landscape and national scale.

What You Can Do

Install a wildlife pond to support frogs, toads, newts, insects, and birds
Create log pile habitats for invertebrates, hedgehogs, and reptiles
Plant native species to provide species-specific food resources for local invertebrates