Naturescaping is a way to protect, maintain, and enhance wildlife habitat and native biodiversity.

The new Saanich Naturescape Booklet is a 22-page resource that provides information and ideas to start or further develop naturescaping on your property.

What is naturescaping, you ask? Naturescaping is a way to protect, maintain, and enhance wildlife habitat and local biodiversity and encourages the use of native plants in landscaping.

Saanich’s Official Community Plan includes naturescaping as a way to maintain and improve wildlife habitats. Saanich’s Local Area Plans and bylaws also promote Naturescaping.

Saanich provides residents with support for naturescaping through the Natural Intelligence Program and related naturescape initiatives and resources. The new Saanich Naturescape booklet helps empower residents to be stewards of the natural environment and protect wildlife, enhance local biodiversity, and conserve water.

Naturescaping has many benefits aside from ecological values, including economic, human health and well-being, not to mention it’s fun! Through naturescaping you can also reduce stormwater run-off, reduce your yard maintenance and costs, reduce climate impacts from mowing and provide valuable ecosystem services, including supporting climate regulation.

Saanich joined the UN in declaring 2021 to 2030 as the UN Decade of Ecological Restoration. This declaration calls upon everyone to get involved in “reviving damaged ecosystems.” Naturescaping is one way Saanich residents can participate and contribute to increasing biodiversity in Saanich and mitigating the effects of climate change.

Visit saanich.ca/naturescape to take part, download the booklet, and find out how to incorporate the many benefits of naturescaping into your backyard!