BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 31st ANNUAL EDITION 23 BIODIVERSITY IN CHURCHYARDS Autumn Barlow BIODIVERSITY IS such a commonly used word now that its meaning can seem very obvious; one assumes that it simply means ‘more wild things’ and that this is a good thing. But what biological diversity – biodiversity – looks like will differ according to area, and there is no arbitrary figure that can be given which means ‘when there are more than this number of species, this place is biodiverse.’ And it is not just about the number of species; the range of different types of species is also important. An artificially created patch of meadow with two dozen types of non-native flower, and few insects, cannot be said to be biodiverse. A truly biodiverse area, with species appropriate to the locality, is a complex network of plants, fungi, birds, insects and animals whose populations vary throughout the year. A black redstart on a headstone: a truly biodiverse churchyard is a complex network of plants, fungi, birds, insects and animals whose populations vary throughout the year. (Photo: Pete Richman) An urban fox in a churchyard: the pockets of land that surround buildings of all faiths across the UK contribute a significant amount to improving habitats for wildlife. (Photo: Jamie Hall) All of this is to say that paying close attention to the specific conditions of an area, and utilising local knowledge, is vitally important when considering a plan to make changes to the biodiversity of a place. What use is one small patch of apparently biodiverse land? Is an isolated oasis of nature truly beneficial? To the creatures that inhabit it, undoubtedly yes. At least, in the short term. But populations need genetic diversity for strength, and the webs of interconnected life – particularly in the hidden, stillto-be-discovered networks of mycelia that make up the mycorrhizal networks of fungi threading throughout the earth – transcend the boundaries that we see on the planet’s surface. So, more biodiversity is good, yes. But more land overall with greater biodiversity, more land with connections
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