Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium 2026

The UK, like most other countries worldwide, has seen significant loss of its plants, animals and fungi. The State of Nature reports that the UK is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth, with species declining by an average of 19% over the past 50 years. This makes nature-friendly gardening more important than ever as our gardens can provide a haven for the wildlife that visit or reside within them.

Wildlife gardening is now a popular approach, with members of the British public trying to do what they can to give our wildlife a helping hand. This also makes it a business opportunity, with pollinator seed mixes, insect hotels and bird feeders commonly stocked throughout garden centres and online retailers.

But how do we know that our wildlife gardening practices are actually beneficial for nature? The management of habitats that aren’t informed by scientific evidence is at best a matter of hearsay, and at worst, can be misinformed and counter-productive. Our annual Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium provides a platform for scientists researching wildlife gardening to share their work and help us all take an evidence-based approach to how we manage our gardens for wildlife.

Speaker Programme

The Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium will be hosted by Hafsah Hafeji (Wildlife Gardening Forum) will feature 4 presentations on research relevant to wildlife gardening, as well as a round-up of other wildlife gardening research, policy and initiatives from the Wildlife Gardening Forum:

• Fragments of Paradise: Garden Ponds as Wildlife Habitat with Dr Mike Jeffries (Northumbria University)
• Gardening for Pollinators: It's About More Than Just Flowers! with Prof Jeff Ollerton (University of Northampton and Kunming Institute of Botany)

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and lists of useful links via a password-protected website following the event.

Fragments of Paradise: Garden Ponds as Wildlife Habitat

Dr Mike Jeffries (Northumbria University)

Ponds are found on every continent on Earth, in the middle of vast deserts and on tiny islands. They are also commonplace in gardens, but the value of garden ponds has been overlooked. Recent studies have begun to spotlight their importance, but also challenges, in particular garden ponds as a Trojan horse for non-native species. They can even be a fascinating, unique freshwater habitat, all part of the urban zoopolis we have created

Dr Mike Jeffries is a freshwater ecologist based at Northumbria University. Ponds have been at the heart of his research, focusing on the animals and plants, and how pondlife changes with climate and landscape.

Gardening for Pollinators: It's About More Than Just Flowers!

Prof Jeff Ollerton (University of Northampton and Kunming Institute of Botany)

Gardening for pollinators is about more than filling beds with bright flowers; it’s about creating an environment that supports their entire way of life. In his book 'Pollinators & Pollination: Nature and Society', Jeff described the “Requirements of Pollinators Triangle,” which emphasises three essentials: food from flowers, nesting or breeding sites, and “supplements” such as nest-building material or insect prey. While nectar and pollen provide vital energy and protein, without safe nesting spaces pollinators cannot reproduce or persist. Equally, many species rely on extra resources—mud, leaves, resin, or prey—that are often overlooked in garden planning. By paying attention to all three vertices of the triangle, gardeners can turn even small spaces into robust habitats that sustain pollinator diversity year-round.

Professor Jeff Ollerton is a consulting ecological scientist and author, with more than 30 years' experience studying pollinators and their flowers. He is the author of 'Pollinators & Pollination: Nature and Society' (Pelagic 2021) and 'Birds & Flowers: A 50 Million Year Relationship' (Pelagic 2024). Jeff is also a visiting Professor at the University of Northampton (UK) and the Kunming Institute of Botany (China).

Our Host

Hafsah Hafeji is a community horticulturist and is a trustee to the Wildlife Gardening Forum. She has written in Gardeners World Magazine and various other publications advocating for nature education and community gardens. In her day job Hafsah works as volunteer and community outreach manager for a busy city farm in East London.

This event is delivered jointly by the Biological Recording Company and the Wildlife Gardening Forum.

eTicket Fes

This event is unfunded and we rely on ticket fees to cover the costs of running the event. However, we did not want cost to be a barrier to attendance so we are letting you decide what you can afford to pay to attend.

1. Professional Ticket - Ticket price is £30. Ticket option for those attending in a professional capacity as part of their work or for their career professional development.

2. Non-professional Ticket - Pay what you can afford (minimum fee of £1, recommended donation £10). VAT at 20% will be added to your ticket fee at checkout.Ticket option for non-professionals such as volunteer biological recorders, conservation volunteers and amateur naturalists.

Missed the 2025 Wildlife Gardening Virtual Symposium?

Not to worry. You can catch up with the presentations listed below and the news round-up from the Wildlife Gardening Forum on the Biological Recording Company website.

1. How To Optimise Our Gardens As Habitats For Hedgehogs with Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen (University of Oxford)
2. The Impact of Wildlife-friendly Gardening on Butterflies with Dr Richard Fox (Butterfly Conservation)
3. Garden Bird Feeding: Impacts, Challenges and Trade-offs with Dr Hugh Hanmer (British Trust for Ornithology)
4. Gardening for Bats and People with Jo Ferguson (Bat Conservation Trust)