Messy backyard gardens could help save biodiversity, but who wants one?
For Immediate Release
A new study from North Carolina State University researchers finds that attraction to biodiversity, also known as biophilia, may vary broadly between individuals rather than being a consistent trait that all people share.
As biodiversity declines around the world and global climate goals are often left unmet, researchers have begun to look to backyard gardens as a potential tool for preserving a diverse array of plant and animal life. Promoting this “backyard biodiversity” requires understanding what kinds of people might prefer wild or natural spaces on their property over a more traditional lawn said Vanessa Woods, Ph. D student in the NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and lead author of a paper on the study.
“While a single person’s garden isn’t going to do much individually, as a collective they could be a big part of conserving biodiversity. The question then becomes; how do you get those people to change their gardens in that way?” Woods said. “To do that, you first need to identify the people who will be receptive to those messier, more biodiverse types of gardens.”
To answer this question, researchers surveyed over 2,000 people from across the United States to determine their level of attraction to biodiversity. They found that, rather than all people having an innate appreciation for or attraction to biodiversity, attitudes toward biodiversity varied depending on the individual. This characterizes biophilia as a temperament trait, one that changes broadly between people and emerges early in life.
By identifying who might be predisposed to enjoying biodiverse spaces, researchers can help convert that interest into conservation action, Woods said. Income level was the most significant predictor of biophilia, with those in households making under $25,000 showing the highest affinity for biodiversity. People at the upper end of the income scale showed a preference for more traditional lawns, an outcome which Woods said was the opposite of what she expected.
The distinction between types of backyards is important, Woods said, because lawns cannot fill the same conservation niche as more biodiverse spaces.
“There is a difference between ‘nature,’ and specifically biodiversity. If the goal is conservation, you cannot replace biodiversity with a lawn,” she said. “Not just any green space will work, you need that dense ecological web of organisms to have a real effect on environmental decline.”
Melinda Knuth, lead researcher and assistant professor in the NC State College of Natural Resources’ Horticultural Science department, said that identifying those who are attracted to biodiversity is important for bridging the gap between intent and conservation action.
“Understanding how people behave is essential in converting scientific discovery into societal change. Each scientific concept has facts, but the broader implications rely on how society reacts, integrates and evolves with these facts,” she said. “By gaining a better understanding of who could be receptive to backyard biodiversity, we can make outreach more efficient and focus our efforts where they will have the most impact.”
The study, “Backyard Biophilia: A Survey Instrument to Measure an Attraction to Biodiversity in the Home Garden,” is published in HortScience. Co-authors include Hsuan Chen of NC State University and Lorrie Schmid of Duke University.
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Note to editors: The abstract of the paper follows.
“Backyard Biophilia: A Survey Instrument to Measure an Attraction to Biodiversity in the Home Garden”
Authors: Vanessa Woods, Melinda Knuth and Hsuan Chen, NC State University; Lorrie Schmid, Duke University.
Published: Sept. 1, 2025 in HortScience
DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI18638-25
Abstract: Biodiversity is threatened by rapid urbanization, yet research on people’s attraction to biodiversity remains scarce. The Biophilia Reactivity Hypothesis proposes biophilia, defined as an attraction to biodiversity, as a temperament trait. We developed a short survey instrument to measure Backyard Biophilia (BB)—an attraction to biodiversity in the home garden—and tested it on a representative convenience sample (n = 2031). The BB scale met the first criteria for a temperament trait, individual variability along a normal distribution, as well as good internal consistency, and a two-factor solution (Gardening for Wildlife and Lawn and Order). Higher BB scores correlated with increased proenvironmental behaviors and were inversely correlated with biophobia, defined as a fear or aversion to biodiversity. BB was also negatively correlated with income, with the lowest income bracket showing the highest attraction to biodiversity. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding individual preferences in biodiversity conservation, particularly in residential settings, and suggest that the BB scale could provide initiatives aimed at fostering biophilic connections across diverse urban environments.
