Has the pandemic changed the way you feel about green spaces and food gardening? When you were confined to home, did you get to know your yard or balcony better? CSIRO researchers are keen to hear about it.
“One big trend we’ve all heard about is people growing their own food”, says CSIRO interdisciplinary ecologist Dr Brenda Lin.
“Backyards are our most accessible form of nature in cities – considering it’s right outside our homes. And with the amount of time we’ve been spending in our homes and yards, you might have noticed quite a bit about your garden and how it enhances your life.”
CSIRO’s scientists are concerned about the increasing loss of urban parklands, green spaces and even backyards because they have studied the impact that visiting these spaces has on health and wellbeing.
On the other hand, there are many stories of people developing community vegetable gardens, planting vegetables and fruit trees on neighbourhood verges, setting up beehives and even adopting chooks to boost home-grown food supplies.
“Cities are constantly changing, and making land use decisions that support really good environmental systems will nurture the communities that live in them”, Dr Lin says.
So, if you or the neighbours have been active in your gardens, whether to have access to fresh food or to simply enjoy the exercise and connection to earth, take a few moments to respond to the survey at https://blog.csiro.au/green-spaces-urban-environments/ and help our scientists ensure future generations can have the same opportunities.