A federal state of Germany has decided to ban gravel gardens and now the ban could be extended to the whole country
Cover the garden with gravel it is a very common practice that allows you to make the outdoor spaces of the house cleaner and tidier. However, few consider that gravel is able to seal the soil with serious repercussions on the environment.
For this, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in Germany, has decided to ban the covering of private gardens with gravel, pebbles or stones.
Through a new law, we wanted to clarify the legislation of the building code, according to which the green areas that are not built must remain as such unless “they are necessary for another permitted use”.
The new standard prevents excludes from the permitted uses the possibility of transforming your garden into an expanse of concrete, tiles or gravel: gardens must be designed and redesigned so that they remain green to favor the dispersion of heat and the presence of insects and small animals.
Having spaces covered with herbs, flowers and plants favors bees, bumblebees, birds and butterflies that can find food and shelter within the gardens.
Furthermore, green gardens absorb heat and help reduce the temperature of cities, while gravel gardens can reach 70 ° C during summer days and then release the heat during the night.
Completely or partially sealed soils cannot even drain rainwater like a green garden does, contributing to flooding and flooding in case of heavy rain.
Finally, gravel gardens contribute to soil pollution, since herbicides that are harmful to the environment are often used to eliminate the weeds that grow among the stones.
Now that the state of Baden-Württemberg has decided to intervene to preserve green areas, it is possible that other states will do the same: soon the ban could be extended throughout the country, with great benefits for the environment and animals in the areas. urbanized.
Sources of reference: Wetter / OKO test
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