Page 30 - ALG Issue 3 2024

GARDENS
FOR LIFE
A Community Initiative to Reduce Pesticide Use
Over the last decade, researchers have recorded a catastrophic decline in insect species across the world.This is part of a broader decline of all animal and plant species which is becoming known as the “Sixth Mass Extinction”.
to conserve our local biodiversity in our own communities and across the UK, along with the millions of others across the world who are waking up to the environmental challenges that we all face.
Allotments are some of the most biodiverse and productive pieces of land
in the country and are important nectar resources for pollinators. A community group called Green Futures in Newton Abbot is now working with local allotment gardeners and the Newton Abbot and District Co-operative Allotment Association to create a Garden For Life guide in order to help householders manage their gardens without using environmentally damaging pesticides.To create this important publication, we are seeking as many suggestions as possible for successful ways of controlling garden pests and diseases
As with climate change, this serious and ongoing loss of species is hugely damaging to the integrity and resilience of the local and global ecosystems of which we are a part, and on which we depend.The decline in pollinating insects, in particular, presents a growing threat to our ability to produce food, and for the survival of all the other animal species which also depend on the insects for food.We all now need to take the necessary action in order to halt this decline and restore insect populations.
One of the key factors linked to
pollinator declines is the use of pesticides. There are roughly 17,000 different pesticide products currently on the market globally and annual agricultural consumption has grown from 1.8 million tonnes in 1990 to 3.54 million tonnes in 2021, an increase of 96% in 30 years.
When faced with such huge challenges, it is tempting to either deny that they’re really happening or simply ignore them. Neither of these strategies are going to be helpful for our children and grandchildren over the longer term.We must take action
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30 | Issue 3 2024 | Allotment and Leisure Gardener