As the urban environment gets better, a whole new question arises: how do we get along with wildlife that attracts them to "get into the city."
In recent years, residents of some neighborhoods in Shanghai have been troubled by being neighbors with wild animals such as raccoons, and even clashed with them due to lack of understanding.
However, some communities have done the opposite, specially vacating a space to create a suitable ecological environment to "attract bees and butterflies".
This space is called a "habitat garden". Can the construction of habitat gardens be a way out for residents to live in harmony with wildlife "into the city"? In Shanghai, where land is scarce, can there be enough space and resources to expand it in the future?
Starting point: Please come and be a guest
This year, Le Linhua, who lives in Jinhong Garden, has a new hobby, hiding behind a wall in the corner of the community, through the long gap in the wall, observing Lu Jiabang outside the wall.
"After living for more than 20 years, I saw the most birds this year, especially egrets and night herons, and a few times, I actually saw small birds." Le Linhua proudly said that many communities have gardens, but their gardens are different, almost a bird watching base, and after a period of time, he can even identify twenty or thirty species of birds, and his retirement time is full and interesting.
Le Linhua told reporters that this was originally an abandoned pump house and surrounding open space, neglected maintenance, overgrown with weeds, and several places prone to water accumulation often breed mosquitoes and flies.
In the fall of 2019, I heard that the community applied to the district for a project called "Habitat Garden", and since then there have often been professionals to visit. After cleaning and carving, this habitat garden called Changxin officially opened in August this year.
"The design of each habitat garden should be adapted to local conditions, and if the community has a good ecological foundation, then some appropriate adjustments and upgrades can play a very good effect." Dong Dazheng, the freshwater conservation project manager of the Nature Conservancy, was impressed by the fact that the first time he came to Jinhongyuan, he noticed that there was a river near this wasteland, and the river bank served as a transitional area between the two places, and the vegetation was luxuriant, providing a rest space for many "timid" water birds.
The icing on the cake is that the outside of the community near the river has planted a number of fruit trees, such as pomegranates, oranges, pears, persimmons, etc., plus birds such as camphor and wolfbone, which can be called the "cafeteria" of birds.
The hilltop hut placed against the wall in the picture is stuffed with piles of dead branches and bamboo tubes to attract insects to nest, and there are a large number of host plants near the huts, allowing insects to eat and live without worry
There is food and shelter, and the birds are naturally willing to come as guests. At this time, the design focus of the ecological garden is no longer to create a habitat, but how to let the residents and the "elves" live in harmony.
So the designers had the idea of opening holes in the wall, making it harder for birds to detect someone behind the wall, bringing the residents closer to them and feasting their eyes.
The ingenious designer also made a large horn that came out through the wall. On nights and early mornings when sight is poor, residents put their ears on the earpieces, close their eyes, and feel the breath of nature.
Residents who are still unsatisfied can climb the only "two floors" in the garden, the elevated bird watching platform, and hold the deliberately made high wooden fence with both hands to overlook the river, the view is wider, and it is still not easy to be detected by small animals.
In the view of Pan Mingxia, director of the Songer Neighborhood Committee, the Habitat Garden is not only the carrier of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, but also the entry point for the community to explore harmonious co-governance.
She pointed to the hollow fence at the entrance: "You look closely, this is the public drying rack of the community, everyone agrees, just move it as a 'screen'.""
The artistic logo on the fence is directly taken from the resident's home - the metal drying rack is dismantled and reshaped, colored, and wrapped around the acrylic board, becoming a fashionable "eight-color flower".
After the Habitat Garden was opened, the management was handed over to the community volunteers, and the sunshine chamber in the middle of the garden became a good place for them to "brainstorm".
Take the "Dead Stake Paradise" on the left side of the Sunshine Council Hall, which is inspired by the early "reclamation". Many residents feel that it is a pity that the dead wood cleared out of the forest has been thrown away, and after a little processing, it has become a rustic stool; the thinner dead branches have been broken and flattened, and they have been laid into a water-permeable carpet. There is also a pot of aromatic plants in the park, which is also a masterpiece of "turning waste into treasure" after collective consultation among residents.
Explore: How to get along
Some communities to create habitat gardens, indeed have unique conditions, but most of the community gardens only consider people rather than serving small animals, often "dead", to let the animals take this as their home, is a big challenge.
One morning at the end of July, Liu Guanxi, secretary of the party branch of the Luba residential area, opened his mobile phone, and a video of "black paint" jumped out of WeChat, and at 19:02 on July 28, two chubby "dogs" passed by from the infrared camera set up in the Green Eight Happy Habitat Garden. Later, according to the judgment of wild protection experts, this is exactly what has aroused heated discussion in society in recent years.
Surveillance cameras
Surveillance in the Green Eight Happy Habitat Garden captured two raccoons
Photo by Zheng Yunxiang
Information released by the Shanghai forestry department last year showed that raccoons were found in at least 147 communities in Shanghai. Preliminary estimates suggest that there may be more than 2,000 raccoons distributed throughout the city. According to the survey results of an environmental protection organization, the three districts of Songjiang, Minhang and Qingpu have become the most popular places in Shanghai.
Is there also a raccoon in Changning District? Residents are not worried? In this regard, Liu Guanxi was not nervous at all, but was very happy: "This is exactly the effect that the residents want, which shows that our habitat garden is doing well." ”
Judging only from the "bottom of the home" of the Concorde Home Community and its surrounding areas, most people will question the need to recreate a habitat garden, after all, the community is adjacent to the South Yupu, the southwest corner is connected to a golf course, and the farthest straight line distance from the outer green belt is within 300 meters.
On one side of the Habitat Garden is the river channel
"A good natural environment does not mean that it is suitable for animals to inhabit, and it may even become an 'ecological trap'." Yu Linlin, head of the Nature Conservancy's Shanghai project, used the example of a puddle after a rain, in which some insects and amphibians lay their eggs, and with the wind and the sun, the puddle dries out and the spark of life is extinguished.
Another typical case is the pool in the community, which has been drained for various reasons, and the frogs in it cannot find a nearby water source and may die on the way to find a new home.
Therefore, the habitat garden cannot be made into a "trap" that has no return, but must become a life channel that comes and goes freely, and it is good for the attracted creatures to want to stay, but if they want to move the nest, they are not forced to stay.
At Concordia Homeland, this philosophy is embodied in a stream called "Butterfly Love Flower". Near the end of the South Fishing Pu is upstream, the river flows through a meandering cobblestone road to a pool of water at the end, the water flow is strictly controlled, but shallow and not over the bottom of the stone, like a "dark river".
When the climate is hot and dry, it can replenish the stream
The surrounding area of the pond is also surrounded by stones to make it easier for small animals to enter and exit
The small animal that climbed ashore was photographed by Dong Dazheng
Yu Linlin said that in this way, the stones become a springboard on the water, and insects and amphibians are tired of walking and can rest their feet and drink saliva.
Otherwise, the water level is too high, the flow rate is too fast, their movement is limited, and they will even drown. The water level is too low, the creek becomes a dry stream, and some creatures attracted by the pool water are trapped in place and cannot be traced upstream to spread.
"I didn't expect there to be so much learning in the garden." Liu Guanxi said that many residents have now become senior observers, exchanging new discoveries in the owner group.
This summer, everyone is talking about a black-skinned red caterpillar that will grow up to become a leopard butterfly in a "leopard suit", and it is the butterfly host plants such as purple flower ditin and pansies that have been planted in the garden.
Fei Leopard Butterfly Image source: Baidu Encyclopedia
The recent appearance of raccoons has also aroused heated discussion among residents, but it did not expect that not only did not cause large-scale anxiety, but also aroused the residents' desire to explore.
Some retired residents with their children who have spent summer vacation repeatedly looked through the surveillance video, carefully visited the habitat garden, and came to a convincing conclusion: there are raccoons around the Concordia Home, but they have not "settled" in the community, but have come to drink water and bathe, indicating that there is a lack of water in the place where the raccoon lives. As long as residents continue to adhere to garbage sorting, control the feeding of wild cats, and do not let the community have exposed wet garbage or cat food that interests the raccoons, they can be at peace with the raccoons.
Daniel Zhang, associate professor of the School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of East China Normal University, admits that this is precisely the meaning of creating a habitat garden, deepening cognition through coexistence with wild animals, and then generating empathy, which is ultimately transformed into a correct and reasonable way to get along with other "city" animals.
The Future: Pluralistic Co-Governance
In Shanghai, the earliest habitat garden appeared in Hongxu Community, and after the official opening on November 30, 2019, only half a year later, 16 species of birds, 2 species of mammals (red-bellied squirrels, weasels) and 4 species of pollinators were recorded in the garden.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
Then promoted so far, Habitat Garden has only landed in 8 communities, and the main obstacle lies in funding.
It is revealed that some large habitat gardens, the investment is basically more than 1 million yuan, relying only on the community self-financing, almost impossible to complete.
At present, all 8 habitat gardens are located in Changning District, benefiting from the local "step forward". "This is an innovative exploration of policy, and we believe that building a habitat garden is also a low-carbon action with high ecological and social value." Mao Qin, deputy director of the Changning District Low Carbon Center, said that for eligible communities, part of the funds are supported by special funds arranged by the district for energy conservation and emission reduction, and the other part of the funds are borne by the streets and towns.
At present, to build a habitat garden, the community must meet the following conditions: First, there must be more than 350 square meters of idle space in a semi-enclosed state and an excellent ecological environment. Secondly, the operation and maintenance of habitat gardens in the later stage completely depends on community co-governance, so the community must have a strong "troika" and a group of enthusiastic and high-level volunteers.
In addition, the creation of habitat gardens is not to form ecological "islands", in the future to string beads into a line, the formation of a connected ecological network, therefore, "station" on the ecological node of the community, apply for the construction of habitat garden, will be preferred.
Concordia Home and Jinhongyuan are both in the transition area radiating from the inner side of the outer ring green belt to the central urban area, and the two communities can also be connected through the surrounding water system, which has favorable conditions for forming an ecological network.
On the outside of the fence in the picture, there is a golf course, and after inspecting the scene, experts believe that the raccoon enters the habitat garden of the community through here
The reporter learned from the ecological environment department of Changning District that during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Changning will strive to build 30 habitat gardens, and the surrounding park green spaces, greenways, etc. constitute a vibrant "Internet", whether it is people or "into the city" animals can rest in this space.
"In the long run, government departments will slowly change their roles, from funders to guides." Mao Qin said that after the pilot of habitat gardens is more mature, the focus of financial support will gradually change from focusing on construction to focusing on planning and design, and then slowly encouraging all parties in society to participate and weakening the intervention of government departments in related projects. The ultimate ideal state is to let the habitat garden realize the self-construction and self-management of the community.
At this point, The High Line Park is a classic case.
The High Line Park is a linear hanging garden in Manhattan, New York, spanning 22 blocks. The "High Line" was originally a railway freight line built in 1930 and abandoned for many years after it was discontinued in 1980. In 1999, two residents living nearby launched the non-profit organization "Friends of the High Line" to mobilize public welfare forces to treat, repair and protect the industrial heritage.
High Line Park Image source: Xinhua News Agency
After gradually encountering financial problems, the "Friends of the High Line" obtained a license from the New York City Parks Authority and obtained the right to operate and manage the park. Over the years, 95 percent of The High Line Park's annual budget is derived from private donations, with most donors living within a 10-minute walk of the park, with a board of directors voting on important matters such as strategy and operational plans.
In terms of doing a good job in parks, "Friends of the High Line" has a huge advantage. On the one hand, the home of the members of the Friends of the High Line is near the High Line Park, which is their home; on the other hand, the introduction of non-profit organizations can increase competition from all angles and improve management efficiency.
Today, the High Line Park has become the representative of the local "fashionable" and "avant-garde", with a variety of rich projects and activities attracting tourists and businessmen from all over the world, and the continuous influx of funds has formed a virtuous circle. This model of public-private partnership to operate public infrastructure projects is known as the PPP model and has been widely used around the world.
"Future maintenance funding is a real challenge." Liu Guanxi said that with the help of the District Development and Reform Commission, the ecological environment and other departments, the community intends to contact some public welfare fund managers, and also has the idea of exchanging resources with some horticultural companies and online live broadcasting platforms, hoping to explore a diversified co-governance path of habitat gardens.
Some of the public spaces in habitat gardens can be opened to the community, which may be an entry point for pluralistic co-governance
Column editor-in-chief: Chen Xisha Title image Source: Chen Xisha Photo
Source: Author: Chen Xisha