Domestic gardens' capacity to support wildlife is a key determinant of urbanisation's environmental impact. Using a nationally representative, online survey of UK residents (n = 478) we assess this capacity, factors that influence it, and intervention design. 25% of gardens could not support vegetation growth in half of their area, which is the recommended proportion for effective ecosystem service delivery. Gardens typically supported vegetation in two-thirds of their area, contained only 5 of 18 wildlife-friendly features, and key habitats occurred rarely (e.g. 15% of gardens contained ponds; 15% had wildlflower meadows). Comparison with previous surveys suggests negligible change in provision of wildlife resources in recent decades, except an increase in bird nest-boxes. Statistical models reveal that competing garden uses, limited interest, insufficient biodiversity knowledge, space, time, and financial resources are major constraints on wildlife-friendly gardening (WFG). Social norms and aesthetic considerations were less influential. Respondents' perceptions of constraints influenced uptake of WFG more frequently than the actual magnitude of these constraints. Without interventions residents were generally unwilling to create additional wildlife habitat, but greater nature connectedness increased willingness which was higher for wildflower meadows than ponds, which were preferred to nettle beds. Financial incentives (cost free, self-installed features) and practical support (cost free professional installation) significantly increased residents' willingness to create all three habitat types. Interventions that tackled cost constraints, rather than residents' ability to self-install, were particularly effective. We demonstrate the marked potential to increase gardens' biodiversity value and provide a blueprint for interventions to achieve this.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)