Ecological value of urban allotment gardens in Lithuania

Abstract

Human existences and well-being depends on healthy environments, also in megacities. However, recent civilization has resulted in the development of the megapolis with emerging/challenging ecological problems, namely heat islands, dust, buildings instead greeneries area, etc. These problems call for prompt solutions. Urban allotment gardening activity might contribute to sustainable maintaining of urban biodiversity, greening as well as human social activity. The president of the International Office of Allotment Gardeners and the Dutch Association of Allotment Gardeners (AVVN), Chris Zijdeveld, presented his long term experience with allotment gardening management in an inspiring talk under the heading Extremely Valuable, Grossly Underestimated, Shockingly Unknown - with good examples of allotment gardens around Europe (COST, 2013). An amateur garden (AG) is used for growing plants for both food production and ornamental reasons. Amateur gardening comprises of an activity aiming to create leisure and living conditions in the garden, to grow and produce agricultural produce (i.e., fruits, berries, vegetables, flowers, bee products, etc.), as well as to manage the landscape and use it for recreation, while sustainably maintaining it. There are also larger community gardens that are cultivated collectively by a group of people. The vast majority of AGs are located within cities. There is a great variety of AGs in terms of their location within the urban structure, their abundance, parcel size, type and intensity of use, constructions (shed for tools, cabin, bower, dacha, etc.) due to different administrative rules and regulations, environmental conditions and historic developments within Europe. Nevertheless also the impacts of the use of the AGs regarding urban biodiversity have to be considered. Therefore, the indication of biodiversity in allotments is of great importance attributed to describe its ecological impacts on urban enwironment.