Ruud Kleinpaste: Space for Nature

Isn’t it just wonderful to suddenly get wind of a perfect idea that makes soooo much sense?  

On my departure for Tauranga to do Nature Nerd stuff at the Bay of Plenty Garden and Arts Festival, I received a fabulous email from Laura, who runs the Envirohub Bay of Plenty.  

Space for Nature.  

This is the picture:  

Nature doesn’t just belong in our National Parks, our rural areas and wild, open spaces.   

If we use our spades and our plants, we can create a Biodiverse area around our homes as well. In cities and villages, in the centre of towns, all the way to the outskirts of those sterile new subdivisions.  

It’s a matter of creating the right kind of habitat which will attract lizards, insects, birds, and magnificent fungi in autumn.  

Your garden could become an important corridor of Native species nearby, allowing them to move deeper and further into your “hood”. 

Trapping pest species is another way to add to the Biodiversity of your Quarter Acre Paradise.  

Imagine becoming part of such a community that links us all together for the same generous reasons: creating a much better and enjoyable ecosystem, which will be making bird song a regular concert of the Neighbourhood.  

There are many ways you can go about creating your own little Paradise: join a restoration team in your area (planting, trapping, weed removal, etc) and learn what works well in your district to get Biodiversity back in the backyard. You can also go for a walk in your local forest and identify what native trees, shrub, and plant species do well – identification is pretty easy when you use iNaturalist (an app on your smart phone).  

You can also visit your local Botanic garden and learn from the professional Botanists!  

Envirohub Bay of Plenty came up with another grand idea: sign the pledge to make Space for Nature in your Backyard and you’ll receive advice and resources to help you in your journey – plus a sign for your gate or letterbox (“We’re Providing Space for Nature”). 

Plus, a Native Tree and a Trap to get rid of the unwanted critters  

Such a simple idea. 

Thank you Laura! You made my day. 

For more information, visit their website here. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast
from News Talks AB climb Pass.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Good morning, A.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Very good morning to you. Are you well, Francesca? I
am very very well.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Where are you?

Speaker 3 (00:20):
I am at the moment, in the middle of nowhere. No,
not in the back of Katty Katty at my favorite
seed place, which is King's Seeds. Have you heard?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
These the more time.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Do you need any wildflows? All right, yeah done, I'm going.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
To I'm going to I don't know if you remember,
but we spoke about how I tried to grow a
meadow last year and it was hazard so I'm going
to give it another world. See, I'm not giving up
on the meadow. I am going to have a tiny
meadow in my background. Anyway, we're not here to talk
about my meadow. We're going to talk.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
To about Yes you are, because yes you are, because
this is the thing about space for nature. That's what
we're talking about. We're talking about making a guide and
like you want to do with wildflowers. So you help
the pollinatus, correct.

Speaker 2 (01:06):
Yes, I am so on topic and organized.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
Here we go. Yeah, there you go. So that's number one.
Number two. You can do the same thing by planting
all sorts of native plants that help other pollen nators.
But it's also help creatures that need to live in
our native areas. So if you create a garden that
is really friendly for native insects, native birds, nay, everything negative,

(01:28):
you are creating a neighborhoods together with your neighbors, that
becomes space for nature. That is the latest thing that
they're doing here in the Bay of Plenty. Laura Rag
the CEO, sent me the stuff the other day and
it's actually happening here. It's brilliant.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
It's something that Envira had by Plenty is doing, isn't it.
And it's sort of inspiring the conversation today. So what
kind of things can we be doing Apart from growing
your meadow, Someone might want something a bit smaller in
the backyard to encourage sort of you know, nature to
come on in and pack up.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
Well, it's literally what you just talked about with your
little little meadows. If you can actually have a one
wonderfully covered meadow where your lizards can live and all
that sort of stuff, just plant them and they will come.
And it's the same with wetter and it's the same
with birds, and it's the same with those sort of things.
The second thing you can do, Francesca, you know, we've
talked about it in the past before, is putting traps

(02:23):
up to get rid of all sorts of things such as,
you know, your rodents and your possums and all that
sort of nonsense, to keep those nasty things away from
your garden and create at the same time a predator
free wherever you live in this case the Way of Plenty.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
And get rid of your weeds too.

Speaker 3 (02:41):
Why not. Absolutely? If there's weeds that are really, really
nasty and that start to if you like, overshadow everything
else that we need to have there, then you've got
to get rid of the weeds as well. That's the thing.
And what they do in this particular Day of Plenty
is when you write sign up for this whole thing,
you're not only getting a nice native tree, but also

(03:02):
a trap to get rid of these unwanted critters.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Oh fantastic. So is this just happening if you if
you sign up to pledge to make space for nature
in your backyard, is that just something that's happening in
the Bay of Plenty.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
I'll tell you what now, it is because you've just
launched ith Okay, I'm not joking. I did not know
it wasn't launched until they told me yesterday. Sorry, it's
going to be launched this Saturday. There we go.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
I apologize to Envira Hybay plenty, but this is so cool.
So you sign up and then you get to receive
lots of advice and resources to help you in your journey.
You're going to get a little signed for your gatory
little box, but as you said, you're also getting a
trap and a tree.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
For exactly Yeah, so you're doing exactly what needs to
be done. And once you're doing it and once and
we've talked about this too, once the kids get it,
they want more traps.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yes, I've got a trap going into the roof of
my house today. Yeah, we'll see what's see what we
catch a goose. It feels like there's an elephant living
up their roads, so it'll be interesting to see how
that goes. Kevin, lovely time, don't spend too much money.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
But I know what you mean with your with your
with you See, I'll see if fucking grab some see you.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
So, thank you so much. That was rude. Climbed past
if you are in the Bay of Plenty area, just
Google and vira Hub Bay of Plenty or Space for
Nature and I'm sure that all that information will come
out for you there.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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