a similar ban to be introduced across gardens and urban areas in the country, in order to protect bees, as well as wildlife and human health. Dave Goulson is a biology professor at the University of Sussex. On Thursday (5 August), he launched a petition urging the government to outlaw chemical spraying in the 22 million private gardens, as well as parks, road verges and other green spaces with the aim of minimising insect decline. Several environmental groups, including the RSPB, the Soil Association and Parkinson’s UK have also expressed their support to his campaign.
Goulson noted that the use of pesticides in farming is already a subject of big debate, although it is less controversial in the case of gardens and other green spaces. “You can make a pretty strong argument that we probably do need pesticides if we’re going to feed everybody. But we don’t need them in our gardens. There’s no economic case for that at all,” he said. “If we link up private gardens with flower-filled road verges and roundabouts, city parks, cemeteries and so on, that’s potentially a network of insect-friendly habitats. It would be a huge step in the right direction.”
According to Stephanie Morren, a senior policy officer at RSPB, 15 per cent of insect species in the UK are already at risk of extinction and are being squeezed into smaller spaces as the urban spread grows. She pointed out that “nature is in crisis” and therefore pesticide-free gardens and other urban green spaces would be vitally important in reviving our world.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs noted that the government intends to support moving away from chemical pest control and has recently consulted on the matter. A report is expected to be issued later this year.
