International Day of Climate Action: 6 Actions for Biodiversity

Every 24th October, people around the world unite for the International Day of Climate Action. This day raises awareness and inspires meaningful action to address the climate crisis. We’re all about action at NESBiP, so here at 6 things you can do to take action for biodiversity loss and the climate crisis this International Day of Climate Action.

1. Step away from that leaf blower!

I know it’s tempting to want to tidy up all those leaves (especially after the recent storms). But did you know leaf litter is actually great for biodiversity and the climate?

Leaving leaf litter (or piling it up) has a lot of biodiversity benefits. It’s shea lter for small creatures. An important food source. A place to stay warm for hibernating animals. A bird buffet. And it helps improve soil health. But a study in the United States found that long-term litter removal in urban gardens reduced decomposition rates by 17% and total soil organic carbon concentration by up to 24% compared to areas where leaf litter was retained in situ. Making leaf litter, an important carbon absorber.

2. Invest in a water butt.

The average person uses around 140 litres of water a day. With summers continuing to be the driest on record, it’s going to be more difficult to source water. Even with early autumn storms like Storm Amy, we are still seeing low river levels.

Investing in water butts and collecting rainwater all year round could help with water levels. Rainwater can be used to keep your pond topped up, provide a water source to animals, and, if needed, water your garden. Learn more about conserving water. 

3. Collect local tree seeds.

The Tree Council’s seed-gathering season campaign finished a few days ago, but some trees are still seeding in North East Scotland. Head out and gather as much as you can to help our struggling tree species.

You can find out more about how to grow trees from seed here: It’s Tree Seed Gathering Season! – Blog.

The image shows, from left to right, yew seed, elderberries and holly fruit. All different types of seed.

4. Plant a hedge.

When it comes to biodiversity and climate action, you may often see encouragement to plant a tree. However, planting native mixed hedgerow species might be the better option. They are excellent at storing carbon, improving air quality and reducing noise pollution. In addition to providing food and shelter for wildlife, they can provide shelter for livestock. Protecting our wildlife and food sources.

Check out NESBiP’s Big 5 to learn more about native mixed hedgerow species.

5. Plan for a wildflower meadow.

A native species wildflower meadow is fantastic for supporting our pollinators and other wildlife. But it can also be great at capturing carbon. By cutting and lifting the cuttings once or twice a year, then these garden soils could potentially capture and store an additional amount of carbon equivalent to more than 3 million average cars’ annual emissions within a spade’s depth and well over 10 million cars in soils as deep as one metre.

An added bonus is if you have a wildflower meadow instead of a perfectly cut lawn, you are reducing your emissions and carbon footprint! Less cutting is needed. And by using native wildflowers, they are more adapted to the local climate and soil. Making them more resistant to extreme climate.

Learn more about grasslands here: Amenity Grassland and Road Verges & Doing More with Less!

Tight on space? Learn about Aberdeen City Council’s Countryside Rangers Meadow-in-a-Box project. 

6. Join your local climate hub or network

NESCAN Hub is the climate network for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. Moray CAN is the climate network for Moray. There are also a number of small climate action hubs around the North East. You can find some of them here: Member Network – NESCAN Hub.

Urban biodiversity action: Meadow-in-a-Box, Hedge-in-a-Box and a small bucket pond

Thank you for reading.

We hope the 6 Actions for Biodiversity have inspired you this International Day for Climate Action. Remember, we can do more together; you don’t have to fight this alone.

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