Research into garden biodiversity

There is an every increasing body of research into the importance of domestic gardens to biodiversity in the UK and Worldwide, and other closely related topics. Below are links to key articles, videos and reviews with a very brief summary. As new information comes to light it will be posted here.

Biodiversity in residential gardens: a review of the evidence base: A very thorough review published in 2023 of over 400 research papers from across the world that explore this topic - identifying key themes and findings.

Urban gardens strategy needed for new homes: Published by the RHS in September 2024, a request to the UK government to develop a proper garden strategy as they embark on mass house building

RHS John MacLeod Annual Lecture: The 2024 lecture was on ‘The value of private gardens for biodiversity conservation in cities’. Guest speaker Dr Mark Goddard discussed the importance of urban gardens for wildlife, and the contribution that private gardens can make to biodiversity conservation. He drew on his own research and that of others to explore gardening ‘myths’ – such as that only wildlife gardens are good for wildlife, or that they should only contain native plants

Five myths of wildlife gardening, pitted against science: Urban ecologist Dr Mark Goddard busts five common beliefs to show that anyone, anywhere, can create a biodiverse garden

The wildlife value of private gardens, both commercial, and domestic: Written by Noel Brock of Frognal Gardens for the Association of Professional Landscapers