Raise public awareness

The “Cities Dare Wilderness” project is part of the overall Hanoverian program of “More Nature in the City”, a new future-oriented approach to green spaces in urban areas. The aim of the project is to bring wilderness back to the city by increasing urban biodiversity, strengthening nature in the city and making it habitable for its inhabitants. For fulfilling these goals, eleven sites were chosen (some parts of the city park Eilenriede, some currently intensively cultivated areas or some derelict small gardens), in which different methods have been tried out, like planting local woody plants, grazing, and the implementation of interpretive trails. The development of the flora and fauna in the new wilderness is now being observed and investigated. The first step in the wilderness was made on a meadow along the course of the Fße in the Badenstedt which was fenced. It was made available for cattle to graze and influence the new growth of shrubs through feeding preferences (Reference 1, 2). The flowering meadows have attracted a variety of species. The rich habitat resulting from the project has attracted songbirds, hedgehogs, butterflies and some of the 67 bee varieties endemic to the state of Saxony (Reference 10).
Campaigns for environmental education are regularly offered in order to involve the population in the process of wilderness development. The series of “Wilderness Concerts” were organized, a “wilderness woodlice” was installed in one of the project areas (Mittlefield), and handicraft activities have been regularly offered, in addition to excursions and guided tours (Reference 8). Citizen science is also part of the project through the iNaturalist app that allows the community to record observations of the flora and fauna in the area (Reference 9).
The project is financed by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Natura Conservation and Nuclear Society. Two other cities, Frankfurt am Main and Dessau-Roßlau is also involved as model cities. (Reference 1,2)

Kronsberg was built as a model district of sustainable urban development for the EXPO 2000, which motto was 'Humankind-Nature-Technology'. In the previously intensively farmed area, 3200 new dwelling unit was built. Among other sustainable technologies, the planners of the district developed a quasi-natural drainage system that aimed to provide the municipalities a sustainable alternative for traditional drainage (Reference 1, 2).

20 years after planning started in 1992, EXPO district of Kronsberg has proven its viability in terms of sustainable urban development and provided important foundations for advanced urban planning of new buildings in Hannover and elsewhere. The project was showcased in the ‘Crystal’ exhibition pavilion in London as a global standard for integrated construction. The ‘World Cities Summit 2012’ in Singapore also paid tribute to the residential area as one of the world’s hundred most innovative infrastructure projects (Reference 1, 2013).

Due to human interventions into the natural river flow with dykes, drainage of agricultural and grassland or cutting off its water bodies, the wetland Elster-Luppe had lost its groundwater base which decreased its biodiversity. With the support of the regional biodiversity fund and building on previous efforts, the city of Leipzig, together with partners such as the NABU Sachsen and research institutions, has revitalized, renaturalized and connected the water bodies of Leipzig's North-Western wetlands to one continuous watercourse since 2012. Its objective is restoring its ecosystem functions and increasing awareness for the importance of wetlands (4, 5).

The Bizardin is the community garden of Hellemmes, created by the association AJOnc (Amis des Jardins Ouverts et néanmoins clôturés) on the initiative of a group of inhabitants. Managed by the locals, it gives life to the neighborhood where children like to play, watch insects, sow radishes, watch for frogs. A living garden where wild and cultivated plants come together and create a floristic richness often unsuspected by the simple passer-by, a result of many years of work. It is also an ideal place to observe as insects and birds swarm. (Ref 1)

The Pasteur clinic in Toulouse installed a 500m² vegetable garden on the roof of its building in 2014. Maintained by clinic employees and various associations, the garden makes it possible to develop a friendly atmosphere and learn gardening while promoting biodiversity (Ref. 2). The garden grows produce including green beans, tomatoes, basil, strawberries and raspberries, (Ref. 3) and contains flowers such as nasturtiums, Cosmos, tagettes and edible chrysanthemums (Ref. 4).

In 2016 the Environmental Protection Division of Hannover's Department of Environment and Urban Environment started a common pilot project, KlimaWohL, with Bothfelder Kamp GmbH & Co. KG and the Gundlach Group. The building project in Hanover-Bothfeld, formerly called “Hilligenwöhren”, was renamed to “Herzkamp”. By 2021, the family company Gundlach will build approx. 300 terraced houses, rental and freehold apartments. The aim of the project is to implement a new residential area where the researchers of KlimaWohL can systematically test the climate adaptation strategy of Hanover. The new residential area that aims to be an innovative example of climate-adaption for other cities will be equipped with extensive green surfaces and will pay attention to protect the natural environment and species. (Reference 1, 3). In 2018, planting the edge of the forest was started, wherein a tiered 20m wide border consisting of shrubs and trees were planted between the forest and the residential area. Construction of the rental apartments was started and by 2019, the row houses and semi-detached houses have started to be sold. The shell has been completed and the interior work has started. By 2022, overall completion of the project is foreseen.

In 2012 Marks & Spencers funded a volunteering initiative, the Big Beach Clean-up, through which their staff were able to volunteer to clean local beaches and waterways to make local environmental improvements. This initiative is part of M&S’ Forever Fish campaign which is funded by the profits from the 5p carrier bag charge in M&S foodhalls. The 4th annual Big Beach Clean Up (which took place in 2015) aimed to clean 135 beaches and canals up and down the country with over 8,000 people (3,000 M&S employees and 5,000 M&S customers) (ref. 5). As part of this initiative, around 30 members of staff from Nottingham’s local high street store went down to the canal, between Castle Meadow retail park and Meadow Lane Lock, and spent the day removing masses of litter from the water (ref. 3).

Allotment gardens have a long tradition in Hannover, with approximately 20.000 gardens stretching around the city as a green belt. In the last decades, some gardens were threatened by disappearance due to investment interests (Reference 1). With the goal to protect these gardens, the city employed a so-called "Kleingartenkonzept" (allotment concept) in 2016 with the help of the association of allotment gardens (Bezirksverband Hannover der Kleingärtner e.V.). The concept aims to keep the number of existing gardens for social and ecological considerations while allowing for new residential investments which is vital for the growing city. (Reference 2).
As part of the concept, extensive inventory examinations were conducted on areas affected by conversion and restructuring, along with the start of implementation of smaller development projects for housing and the creation of replacement gardens in some areas. Because the need for residential spaces has been covered for until the end of 2019, the conversion of allotments for the said land use has been stopped; it will be revisited in 2024. (Reference 2)
To address the problem of future allotment garden losses, gradual elimination of permanent vacancies has started by creating new smaller and more attractive gardens from oversized ones, by improving accessibility and optimizing spaces, and by modernizing allotments (Reference 2).

The public awareness campaign 'flowers for bees' was initiated by the French Apidology Observatory (OFA) and has taken place each year since 2017 (Ref. 7). In 2017, 100 000 bags of honey-seed - whose flowers produce pollen and nectar - were distributed throughout the national territory of France on Tuesday 20 June as "one of the biggest mobilizations undertaken in a day in favor of a species threatened with extinction" (Ref. 5). The city of Marseille wished to associate itself with the event by organizing a plantation and a distribution of seeds". A total of 5,000 bags were distributed in the city from 20 to 23 June 2017 (Ref. 1).

The initiative created the first in the city anti-smog garden around a local school. The garden serves multiple purposes as it will include: a greenhouse and a composter, the air-pollution absorbing plants that will attract birds and insects and protect the school from urban dust and noise, a vegetable garden, houses for hedgehogs, birds and butterflies, a 'sensory' path for medicinal gymnastics, a roofed gazebo, a meteorological station and a book exchange booth. It is open to other schools and kindergartens and the general public during the school working hours - for educational purposes and recreation [1,2].