Promoting diversity

Sustainability and climate change are global issues high on the agenda of every government body at international and local level, but how can we make a difference in a small Dartmoor village?

This conundrum resulted in Greener Belstone – a village initiative focussing on how we, as a small rural community, can come up with ideas that can help protect and increase local biodiversity. Our first village event took place on a scorching Sunday afternoon, July 18th, when 20 people joined an environmental gardens tour of four very different gardens in Belstone.

The walk focused on themes of home composting, encouraging wildlife in the garden, hedge laying, grass management, water harvesting and permaculture. Some excellent tips on these topics can be found at Greener Belstone | Belstone (belstonevillage.net).

The overall message from this inspiring afternoon was the importance of encouraging diversity in our gardens – ponds, hedgerows, trees, and a definite relaxation on garden tidiness all help create places of joy for wildlife and garden owners.

Greener Belstone is planning other events and offering more opportunities for people to share knowledge on green issues. However small our community may be, we believe we can make a difference. For more information about Greener Belstone, or if you are running a similar community group, please contact us at greenerbelstone@gmail.com.