Wildlife gardening on a blank canvas: addressing motivations, barriers and possible interventions for homeowners living in new build houses

The potential for private domestic gardens to aid conservation as a form of private land conservation has been recognised. However, it is comparatively under-explored in relation to new-build housing developments and new-build homeowners. This paper investigates motivations, potential barriers, and possible interventions for wildlife gardening in new build homes through a two-stage mixed methods approach. 16 interviews were conducted with people who already undertook wildlife gardening, while a questionnaire survey was completed by people (n = 203) living in new-build housing developments. Analysis identified that motivations for wildlife gardening are common across the sample but that people living in new build houses face some unique barriers which are interconnected and manifest not just at individual or household level but also at the housing development level. Further, first time buyers living in new build houses may face the greatest range of challenges and require greater support to undertake wildlife gardening.