The Case for Biodiversity

Diverse, natural landscapes cost less to maintain and provide a wide array of unexpected financial, social and cultural benefits.

By Andrew Wickham, PLA, ASLA
Project Designer

Landscape architects are asking a fundamental question about nature: While our human inclination for centuries has been to tame the natural environment, what happens if we let nature thrive?

On many projects, a focus on biodiversity — incorporating diverse organisms and ecosystems into landscapes and allowing them to flourish — can lead to many benefits not found in traditional, uniform landscapes. A biodiverse ecosystem with a carefully selected combination of plants is more likely to prosper in the environment, attract beneficial fauna and survive longer. A natural, diverse landscape is also cost-effective and generally requires less long-term maintenance and plant replacement.

While the visual appeal of a landscape design may be subjective, researchers continue to find links between natural landscapes and more successful outcomes. As our understanding of biodiversity’s positive impact on the physical world grows, we are seeing a wide array of quantifiable benefits in projects.

HEALTHIER, MORE RESILIENT LANDSCAPES

In a properly designed biodiverse landscape, plants work symbiotically, with one plant producing a nutrient that another plant requires. The plant and fauna systems naturally support each other. It reduces the need for plants to rely on regular applications of fertilizer and compost to thrive. This leads to healthier plants, healthier soil and a more resilient eco-system.

MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS

There is a growing body of research demonstrating positive benefits to mental health from human exposure to nature, and diversity plays a role. People react differently to different forms of nature. A 2025 study published in Scientific Reports found people in 40 recreational areas perceived that naturalness and bird diversity significantly predicted improved mental well-being. Over time it is likely research will further demonstrate that biodiversity contributes more positively and significantly to mental health, and likely also to employee and student productivity, than uniform green spaces do.

NATURE ON DISPLAY

If desired, pollinator gardens can be included in biodiverse landscapes, attracting hummingbirds, butterflies and other beneficial creatures. Young students can benefit from close observation of the life cycle of a butterfly or the nest of a hummingbird, all within a school’s grounds. In communities, wild, varied ecosystems can serve as living tools to teach and remind people about sustainability and the joy of nature’s interactions.

REDUCED CONSTRUCTION COSTS

Incorporating plants and natural materials can have significant cost-saving benefits versus traditionally constructed infrastructure. For example, incorporating nature into stormwater systems can replace processed materials with plants and earth that organically move water through neighborhoods. Cities that took a nature-based approach saved 5% to 30% on construction costs for a stormwater management system versus more traditional materials, according to a 2016 Congressional report.

EASIER MAINTENANCE

The synergy of the vegetation and health of the soil from biodiversity often reduces the amount of maintenance, fertilization and irrigation, reducing costs. Biodiverse landscapes flourish in a natural state, requiring management more than maintenance. The more unfettered growth allowed, even if smaller plants die as a result, the healthier the overall landscape will be.A biodiverse landscape may not be appropriate for every setting. But the benefits are worth considering, with data growing to support the return on investment. Even when biodiversity is applied to limited areas of a project, while others are more uniform, more natural spaces can offer trackable advantages to a project’s larger goals.On a personal level, in schools and public spaces, we see people respond differently to biodiverse space. There is a sense of exploration and fun that can’t be found in bland, manicured landscapes. Every space is an opportunity to create a new type of ecosystem that gives back as much as it receives.