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Research
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Project overview

Do our gardens hold the key to improving biodiversity?

The Victorian Government’s Biodiversity 2037 plan seeks to reduce the decline of our native plants and animals and improve the natural environment so that it is healthy, valued and actively cared for.

A key goal of Biodiversity 2037 is Victorians Value Nature, which includes multiple priorities around raising the public’s awareness of biodiversity, facilitating occasions for people to connect with nature and increasing opportunities for Victorians to act for nature.

What did we do?

To develop robust policy and program interventions to support the program, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) collaborated with BehaviourWorks on a foundational survey of 3,090 Victorians representing all ages and all walks of life.

The challenge:
How to encourage Victorians to enjoy and act for nature
Partners:
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
When:
2019

What did we find?

There were many positive results in the findings, including the fact that 86% of Victorians surveyed support pro-environmental and pro-social values, suggesting that they are able to link nature to human flourishing.

Ninety-five per cent of those surveyed are aware of the condition of Victoria’s environment and the importance of biodiversity to the health of the environment, agreeing to statements like, “There are native plants and animals in Victoria that are at risk of serious decline or becoming extinct”.

Over 64% of Victorians feel connected or very connected to nature, 32% spend time in nature every day, or every other day and 42% spend time in their garden every day or every other day.

Where do we connect?

The top three places where Victorians feel connected to nature are national parks, beaches and their own gardens.

Common barriers to spending time in nature were not having time to get out into nature, having family and friends who do not enjoy spending time in nature and having difficulties accessing nature.

DELWP is now considering how the findings can be used to encourage more Victorians to get out into nature.

Survey results HERE>

Related projects

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Can we teach our kids to value nature and act for wildlife?

Zoos Victoria’s (ZV) Fighting Extinction Schools (FES) Program is designed to engage Victorian schools, teachers and students in creating wildlife-friendly communities that not only value nature and biodiversity but are willing to do something about it by fighting extinction.

Encouraging sealife-friendly choices

Zoos play a valuable role in encouraging visitors to support wildlife conservation by making sustainable purchasing decisions, recycling their waste, making donations and planting wildlife-friendly gardens. An example of this is Taronga Conservation Society Australia’s (TCSA) Fish4Life campaign. It aims to combat overfishing by motivating visitors at the live seal show to change their seafood buying habits towards more sustainable seafood choices. Research to date shows that, although zoo visitors initially have a high commitment to conservation action, this drops off over time.

Biodiversity protection and farm production co-existing on private land

Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (GHCMA) and the Beyond Bolac Catchment Action Group (BBCAG) want to improve their engagement with farmers on wetland protection in south-west Victoria.
Finance
Transport and road safety
Social inclusion
Conservation
Waste
Climate change
Other
Environmental education
Energy
Organisational change
Pollution
Health and safety

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