GROW NATIVE PLANTS
Growing native plants is the simplest and most effective way to create space for nature.
In even better news, they often find their own way into our gardens. They are adapted to our climate, soil and rainfall, so need little care. All they need is for us to recognise them and allow them space to thrive.
Indigenous plants for container gardens
Native plants for pollinators
Bio-cooling plants for shade
Iconic indigenous trees
Indigenous plants for container gardens
Even the narrowest balcony or streetside raised bed can be home for wildlife.
We recommend the following native plants to create space for nature in the smallest spaces.
Species list curated by Social Ecologist Robert Wild M. Phil.
View the full container garden checklist!
Native plants for pollinators
Flowering plants live in partnership with animals that feed on the nectar they produce in exchange for pollinating them. We are familiar with honey bees, but many other animals also share interdependence with flowers – including stingless bees, moths and butterflies, sunbirds, and even bushbabies and fruitbats.
Wild pollinators are essential not only for survival of wild plants, but for pollinating many of the crops we depend on for our food and livelihoods – including fruits, vegetables and spices.
Crucially, such food and commercial crops rely on nearby pollinator refuges of wild flowering plants to feed pollinators year-round, so they are ready and available when the agricultural crops produce their flowers.
Here are our recommendations of indigenous Zanzibar species important for pollinators.
View the full pollinator plant checklist!
If you’re keen to promote pollinators, we wholeheartedly recommend this beautiful free Handbook: Our Friends the Pollinators by regional expert dudu fundi Dino J. Martins.
Download the Pollinators Handbook FREE!
Bio-cooling plants for shade
Have you noticed how people, livestock and wild animals congregate in the shade of tall trees – even if man-made shade is available?
Like solar panels, leaves don’t just block the sun: they absorb and store its energy. As they grow and create new leaves, plants actively cool the air by several degrees, effectively providing natural air conditioning!
Any plant will help cool the air, but some species are particularly effective and suitable for cooling our living spaces.
An exciting new bio-cooling project for Zanzibar City was recently launched, in partnership with the city’s twin city of Potsdam in Germany. The project Bio-cooling and Biodiversity Knowledge in Zanzibar City for Climate Change Adaptation & Biodiversity Awareness aims to reduce heat stress of people by planting shade trees.
We recommend cultivating the following native plants to harness this active cooling power and keep our homes and gardens naturally cool. Full recommended bio-cooling species list coming soon.
View the full bio-cooling plant checklist!
Iconic indigenous trees
When we think of greening the landscape, we think of planting trees. Make sure you plant the right tree in the right place by choosing one of these indigenous species to make a statement on the landscape for generations to come.
View the full iconic indigenous tree checklist!