“We want Toulouse residents to tell us how they perceive biodiversity,” explains this teacher-researcher from Paul-Sabatier University.

As part of your study on pollination in urban areas, you are launching an online questionnaire aimed at people who use city parks. What are you trying to understand?
We seek to collect the perception of biodiversity of the inhabitants of the city of Toulouse, and in particular those who frequent the inner-city public gardens and parks. This could just as well be the gardens of the hypercentre, like those of Compans-Caffarelli, of Grand Rond, which are very well maintained, with many ornamental plants, like those of Argoulets or the Coulée verte des Amidonniers which have a differentiated, more natural management.

Who can answer your questionnaire?
All the people who frequent the city’s gardens, the city’s residents as well as those who come there occasionally. In our questionnaire, we want to know where the inhabitants come from and whether they grew up in a more natural environment, because this can guide their perception of biodiversity.

What other questions should we expect?
The motivations that lead Toulouse residents to frequent parks, those they particularly like, what the ideal park represents, their perception of insects, ornamental and wild plants… Often parks where plants are allowed to grow naturally can attract a certain wildlife and people may have the impression that it is not clean, that it can attract snakes… Pollinating insects can also be perceived as dangerous insects because they can sting. This is how we want to collect their perception. Depending on the results of this survey, the idea is to discuss with town hall services to see what is best in terms of park management to promote biodiversity, particularly pollinating insects.

Are the most interesting parks for biodiversity those that are allowed to flourish on their own?
Quite. Above all, pollinators need a great diversity of flowers, in other words flowers of different shapes and colors. Flower beds with only ornamental species only attract large pollinators such as bumblebees, large wild bees, etc. Small wild bees, which are not equipped to seek nectar and pollen in these large flowers, will therefore rather visit the spontaneous vegetation that is found naturally in the region, such as buttercups, clovers, daisies, dandelions…

Is the aim of your study also to provide information to change mentalities?
Yes. To inform, to break preconceived ideas, particularly about pollinators and bees in particular. People are often uncomfortable when they have to talk about biodiversity because they don’t know it and lack information. We could therefore consider communications with the town hall to explain the primordial importance of pollinating insects.

Why is biodiversity in urban areas important?
Firstly for biodiversity itself, in other words wild species, even if man always wants to benefit from them. Biodiversity allows plants to reproduce. If we take the case of shared gardens, which have a lot of vegetables, they also need pollinating insects to improve the yields of the species grown in their vegetable gardens. Biodiversity must be understood as a whole.

To answer the questionnaire, go here.