WILDLIFE GAINING GROUND™
"Inviting wildlife into your backyard."
Wildlife Gaining Ground™ was developed by Earthvalues to increase awareness, and inform the public about the need to help animal and plant biodiversity in our own backyards: whether it be at home, at school, our place of work, our place of worship, or community center. We've created an extensive guide on how you can increase biodiversity in your yard, with projects you can do at home for every level. The sky is the limit and the ground is the beginning!
Why do animals need our help?
Our houses sit where forests and fields once provided shelter, food and water for wildlife. Now, in many areas, there are too few natural habitats around urban communities to support local animals. When we also take into consideration the land “lost” to commercial developments, logging of forests and farming, we begin to understand why animal popula- tions are now in decline. For example, during the last several years, scientists have noticed a 40% drop in the numbers of migrating birds and they estimate that 30% of the frog species in the world are in trouble.
Why participate in the Wildlife Gaining Ground™ initiative?
The Earthvalues Institute (EVI) is promoting the naturalization of backyards! Each simple action that benefits wildlife is a step towards conservation and a healthy relationship between society and Nature. EVI wishes to record and tally all actions taken to help wildlife. We are aiming for 500 or more actions! So we welcome you and your family to the Wildlife Gaining Ground™ initiative!
What do animals need?
Animals have four basic needs – food, water, cover and a place to raise their young. This Wildlife Gaining Ground™ guide outlines 5 actions you and your family can take to attract wildlife to your backyard. You could choose to plant a tree, create homes for animals, make a pond, grow a meadow, or give life through dead trees. The guide also offers a “Prepare for action” checklist to assist you in getting started on the project of your choice, an action checklist to help you quickly identify backyard projects that will attract the animals you are interested in welcoming and a backyard safari to help you observe and record animal activity. Start with one simple action and make a real difference!
I want to take part! Where do I begin?
Congratulations on giving part of your backyard back to Nature with our Wildlife Gaining Ground™ initiative! We hope you get as much out of the program as the plants and animals you'll be helping with the increase in biodiversity. Click here, or on any of the symbols below to open our Wildlife Gaining Ground™ Guide - it's full of information and how-to's to get you started on the right track. *Please note that an updated version of the document is in the works and some contact information might be outdated*.
Here are a few things you should know while you start your transformation...
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Be patient, and start small. It might take a little while for the animals you're trying to attract to notice your changes!
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Make it a social activity - these kinds of things are a great activity to do amongst friends, or with friends of any age. Help each other with your yards and increase your impact. Plus, many hands make less work!
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Plan ahead. Learn about the kids of plants and animals which are native to your area so you know what to expet. Pay close attention to anything that is listed as "at risk" or "endangered".
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Citizen science ahoy! There are some wonderful applications & sites you can use to help you log and ID all your new backyard visitors: eBird, iNaturalist, Turtle reporting (Qc only), and many, many more!
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Let US know about your backyard transformation journey! Help us get to our 500 initiative goal by sharing your stories and photos with us by clicking the button below.
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