Provision of labour

The Willowbank Community Garden is a council-maintained recreational area consisting of both turfed and concreted areas and waist raised beds, edged by some shrubs and trees. It is a small space (460 sqm.) but offers a variety of growing environments. The site is located within the residential community of Willowbank Crescent, easily accessible from Woodlands Road and a five-minute walk away from the Glasgow University main buildings. Local schools are also in close proximity. The place offers locally grown foods with aesthetics and contributes to urban green space. In 2012, it won "Keep Scotland Beautiful" Award (Ref 2).

"The garden was created in 2012 with the Parenthesis Association. The association closed in 2015. In January 2016 a group of gardeners decided to create a new association to continue their garden, that is when the gardens of Fontgiève were born. In the garden one discusses, one shares, one exchanges, one helps one, one gives oneself advice. The garden produces much more than vegetables and fruits; Ideas germinate there, sharing them is collective intelligence" (Ref.1).

In light of the LIFE P.A.R.C. project, the NBS here presented consisted in the restoration of the fluvial and ecological continuity of the Magra and Vara rivers in the Montemarcello-Magra Regional Natural Park. The intervention implemented the removal of artificial barriers blocking the water continuity currently affecting biodiversity conservation. In the meantime, several activities implemented focused on restoring the area along the stream with the creation of walking paths and the use of signs to spread environmental awareness about the key habitat provision services of the area (1).

Used by a skip hire company until 2016, this riverside Pocket Park will link other fragmented green spaces and routes. Once the rubble is cleared a level riverside walkway will be created that is accessible to walkers, runners, cyclists and wheelchair users. Invasive plants will be removed and new soil mounds will add shape to the land and act as places where native plants can grow. Self-seeded trees will be thinned out and the best allowed to grow on. Once complete the path through it will form part of the sustainable travel network in the upper Aire valley. (1)

The Sowe Valley Project was a community-based project focusing on rivers restoration. It aimed to link the local community with the Sowe River Valley and to improve the valley’s biodiversity and habitats for the benefits of people and wildlife. (Ref. 2, 6, 11-13)

“The Environment and Me project (TEaM) is operated by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and CWMind (Coventry and Warwickshire Mind) and supported by Coventry City Council. (Ref. 1) It is an ecotherapy-based project which aims to enhance mental health and wellbeing. (Ref. 1, Ref. 2). It provides opportunities for outdoor activities at allotment sites, gardens, woodlands, parks and nature reserves – giving people some much-needed breathing space in the fresh air, whilst learning new skills, meeting new people and giving back to nature.” (Ref. 1)

In Frankfurt, the "Gallus Garden" is a community garden built in 2016, which not only impresses with its 1000 m2 size but also reflects the cultural diversity in the district (4). The garden was initiated by the Kinder im Zentrum Gallus association in collaboration with the Gallus neighbourhood management with the help of many sponsors and donors such as the Open Space Office and Deutsche Bank (4). The garden consists of two areas with raised bed for families, kindergarten groups and individuals to cultivate their food there, while a third area is for community events with fruit trees. The aim of the Gallus Garden is to create a community place where old and new residents of the area get together, can share knowledge and spend time in nature (4,8).

This intervention aimed to address low water levels and low water quality in the Sandall Beat Wood and Cantley Park. The problems have been identified by the council and this project was planned to improve the water levels as well as the water quality. This also helped in improving the gross water flow of the regions and protected the wetland habitats. In addition to the above-mentioned benefits, the project successfully engaged local communities. (Ref 2).

The Paul Verlaine Garden received the "EcoJardin"(Eco-Garden) label in 2014 (Ref. 2). The EcoJardin repository is intended to be a methodological tool to guide good practices for gardeners and managers of green spaces (Ref. 6)."This garden is labeled as "Tourisme et Handicap". Work has been done so that this place takes particular account of the accessibility to the people with reduced mobility and the visually impaired. The Jardin Paul Garden is a succession of environments and vegetation architectures" (Ref. 1). At the entrance of the park, there is a playground, a garden of le Petit Poucet, and further the forest of birches, vegetable garden and the garden of tall grasses (Ref. 1).

The £1 million project aimed to transform the area from arable land to a high-quality wetland by creating a number of interconnected reed beds and water bodies. The project recreates part of the old wetland landscape that used to exist on the edge of Doncaster 200 years ago before it was drained for other uses. A major benefit of expanding the wetland will be to provide better quality water for local communities and reduce the impact of flooding in the area. The project is a collaboration among WWF, HSBC, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the European Union. (Ref 1)