Could the proposed new plans to build an
additional 2 million homes over the next 20 years be a major boost to
conservation of Britain’s wild birds? Surveys have shown that 70% of
people with gardens will do something active to help wildlife. So with another
2 million homes that’s an additional 1.4 million households actively supporting
wildlife.
The biggest action taken by people with gardens
is feeding wildlife birds. Surveys have shown that between 60% and 70% of
households with gardens will feed wild birds regularly. A recent survey
has shown that the UK bird food market is valued at £200 million a year. We can
break that down to households pretty easily.
In the UK there is estimated to be 25 million
homes, 20% of which are flats and apartments. While some flats will have
gardens most will not – but then not all houses being built now have gardens
either so we can assume they will cancel each other out. That leaves 20 million
homes with gardens. With 70% of households feeding birds we can divide the £200
million by the 14 million households that feed birds. This means each home is
spending £14.28 a year on bird feeding. Personally I think this is an
underestimate as I used to spend this amount each month not each year. But
we’ll stick with this £14.28 a year figure.
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