By: Anna Bergen, Outreach & Engagement Intern
When transforming your backyard into a self-sustaining ecosystem, it’s best to start with simplicity. My family is trying to mimic natural cycles, within a contained space, that being my own backyard.
At my house, we have a rainwater collector, which contains and stores water that can be used to help maintain our backyard garden without using water from the municipal system.
Our chickens also assist in the process by producing nutrient-rich manure. This manure can be composted along with kitchen and garden waste; it then becomes fertile soil. This compost is used to provide nutrients for the garden, which is home to a variety of different
vegetables and herbs. The native plants also grow in balance with the garden. This balance creates a natural cycle where waste (from chickens and the kitchen) becomes nourishment for the soil, and the rainwater is collected for a purpose.
To continue the natural balance, each component must support the others. The garden, where the compost is used, provides leftover greens for the chickens. Our garden also depends on the rainwater collected and the nutrients provided by the compost. Bird baths will be our next addition; they invite pollinators and birds, expanding the biodiversity, which allows for a natural
form of pest control.
We hope to include solar panels that could be used to power water pumps or coop lighting, limiting the need for an outside energy source. These components must work together in order to form a self-sustaining backyard ecosystem.
This encompasses the whole essence of rewilding by helping to actively restore the natural flow of the ecosystem. When you choose to incorporate the use of rainwater collection, composting, animal stewardship, and native gardening, the backyard shifts from a passive living space to a thriving habitat. Our backyard will become a home for native wildlife, a source of
nourishment, and a place where humans can interact with nature.
Rewilding, in this sense, isn’t about abandoning control; it’s about partnering with nature and letting our backyards become one with the world we’re all a part of.
Let’s get wild New Jersey!
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