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“Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.”

~Aldo Leopold

As a society, nay as a species, it's crucial to expand our conservation strategies. Our focus should not just be on national and state parks or the small wildlife habitats sprinkled within urban and suburban areas. While many of us are familiar with popular "R" terms such as reduce, renew, reuse, recycle, reforest, etc. we should think about adding in another: Revegetation. Revegetation is the process of restoring native plants to an area, with the aim to accelerate the recovery of a disrupted or destroyed ecosystem.

“A nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself."

~Franklin D Roosevelt

The fact is the US population, like the rest of the world, is expanding exponentially. To accommodate, we’ve nearly wiped out our natural landscapes. Currently, over 80% of land in the US is privately owned. What was once dense forests, rolling hills and vast open plains have been replaced with expansive airports, stadiums, businesses, apartments, townhomes, and countless single-family dwellings.

“In the future, we must be more ecocentric than egocentric.”

~Susan Lerner

Untouched land once covered with diverse animal species and plant flora has been replaced with concrete and the basic suburban lawn, both offering little to no biodiversity. We continue to replace native, life-granting plants and trees with “exotic” ornamentals that serve as status symbols or accessories, and often become invasive. In doing so, we unknowingly devastate delicate ecosystems, and accelerate the extinction of thousands of insects, plants and animals, all crucial to long-term life on our planet.

“There can be no purpose more inspiring than to begin the age of restoration, reweaving the wonderous diversity of life that still surrounds us.”

~ E O Wilson

The good news is there’s hope!

According to Author & Professor of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology, and Cofounder of Homegrown National Park, Douglas W Tallamy, if conservation is to happen at this stage, we must do it on private property. All types of private property. Meaning we need to revegetate a portion of our back, front, and/or side yards with native plants.

He’s referring to what he coined as the “Homegrown National Park”. A brilliant concept to create natural corridors between the reduced wildlife habitats to keep our life-sustaining food webs intact.

Key Concepts of Tallamy’s HNP

• Conservation efforts limited to parks will not sustain species over time. These areas are too small and isolated from each other.

• While protecting existing good habitats is crucial, the ecological importance of land outside these “protected zones” cannot be overlooked any longer.

• Improving or creating habitats with native plant species where we work and reside can help connect these preserved areas with biological passageways.

• The establishment of these biological pathways will help increase the populations of plants and animals within these safeguarded regions.

• In the U.S., millions of lawn-covered acres can be transformed back into functional habitats by residents with minimal costs.

“We can each make a measurable difference almost immediately.”

~Douglas W Tallamy

For more information on The Homegrown National Park visit https://homegrownnationalpark.org