Urban vegetable gardening brings synergies for wild biodiversity, finds Paris study

The EU is highly urbanised. Currently, around 75% of its citizens live in towns and cities, and this is projected to rise to over 80% by the middle of the century.

A cognitive and emotional connection to nature ('nature connectedness') has been linked to positive health outcomes, and there are concerns that the continued shift to urban life could erode this connection. EU countries already do not rank especially highly in measures of global nature connectedness, and the European Environment Agency has called for a strengthening of human ties to, and engagement with, nature to support the EU's Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

Urban green spaces can help mitigate this problem by providing important recreation for people and connectivity for species living alongside humans. Gardens are considered a significant component of urban greenery. Research to date has focused on garden biodiversity, as well as their provision of local food through gardeners growing fruit and vegetables. However, ecological corridor and food security roles are rarely considered together, despite the two having potential antagonisms according to conventional agricultural uses (e.g. vegetable and wild plants can compete for space; vegetation can provide shelter for pests and diseases that impact vegetables; and the products and practices used in vegetable growing can unintentionally impact wild species).

To address this knowledge gap, a French study combined two complementary methods to explore the relationship between vegetable growing and biodiversity in urban gardens. They completed a nationwide online survey of French gardeners, examining their gardening practices and perceptions alongside a smaller-scale study combining garden survey data with ecological monitoring of 31 domestic gardens in three adjacent towns in suburban Paris. For the ecological monitoring, the researchers visited the gardens and precisely calculated the proportion of different areas (flowerbeds, lawn, vegetable patches, non-vegetated areas) as well as carrying out an inventory of both deliberately grown and 'spontaneous' flowering plants.

They found that 67% of the gardeners surveyed nationwide reported having a vegetable patch, with 19% saying that it covered at least 25% of their garden. Space dedicated to growing vegetables ranged from 0-10% in the Paris suburbs. In the national survey, there was a significant positive correlation between the importance placed on growing vegetables and that given to wild plants and animals. Both at a national and local level, vegetable growers carried out more practices to support increased vegetation, such as planting. In particular, the researchers noted that increased planting could contribute to providing floral resources for pollinating insects.

Critically, the study identified no conflicts between growing vegetables and wild biodiversity conservation, instead pointing to synergies between the two. It linked vegetable gardening to a broader engagement with the living world, and the researchers suggested that encouraging citizens to grow vegetables could be a promising strategy to encourage experiences with nature in cities and forge environmental consciousness.

The work builds on existing urban ecology research by providing fresh evidence on the relationship between home vegetable gardening and biodiversity. It makes a case for a closer consideration of urban food production alongside conservation efforts. While the work is correlational, it could set the scene for deeper analysis of the relationships between growing food in towns and cities and biodiversity outcomes.

While overarching EU biodiversity policy is guided by the Biodiversity Strategy, the work has specific relevance for policy aiming to 'green' cities at a grass-roots level. Policy on climate adaptation, resilience, and resource security is underpinned by thinking around Nature-based Solutions, while participatory models for greening cities combining human and non-human needs have been proposed as part of EU-funded pilots. As such, the work offers new possibilities for how to engage and involve city residents in improving local biodiversity, while potentially providing an enjoyable and health-promoting outlet for urban citizens.

Reference:

Collard, B., Dutertre, Q. and Baudry, E., 2026. Growing vegetables: A gateway to biodiversity in domestic gardens? Landscape and Urban Planning, 265, p.105520. doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2025.105520

To cite this article/service:

"Science for Environment Policy": European Commission DG Environment News Alert Service, edited by the Science Communication Unit, The University of the West of England, Bristol.

Notes on content:

The contents and views included in Science for Environment Policy are based on independent, peer reviewed research and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission. Please note that this article is a summary of only one study. Other studies may come to other conclusions.