By David Derbyshire, Environmental Editor (Daily Mail July 07)

Gardeners are today being urged to rip up their paving and decking and let the grass grow back to create havens for wildlife.
Campaigners say traditional gardens, with lawns, flowerbeds and untidy compost heaps, are our best chance of halting the decline of species including sparrows, hedgehogs and bumblebees.
They say that the easier to maintain options such as decking, paving and gravel, made fashionable by TV makeover shows, also increase the risk of flash flooding because of the adverse effect on drainage.
More than two dozen wildlife and conservation groups have signed up to a manifesto wich warns against the dangers of paving over gardens and allowing developers to build new estates with few green spaces.
Sir Martin Doughty, chairman of Natural England, said: "The gardens of England are under threat. In London, front gardens with a total area 22 times the size of Hyde Park are now paved over and lost, reducing havens for wildlife, increasing the risk of flash flooding and contributing to climate change.
Natural England says the benefits of gardens are not just environmental, as studies have shown that people are happier and healthier if they come into contact with nature regularly.
Simple measures to boost wildlife include adding a compost heap - which can be used by grass snakes and slow worms - and planting insect and bird-friendly plants such as honeysuckle, buddleia and ivy.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. Be an untidy gardener. Leaving an unkempt patch of grass provides the perfect habitat for flowers, small mammals and caterpillars.
2. Create a pond, or use an upturned bin lid or sunken washing-up bowl filled with water to attract pond skaters, dragonfly and water boatmen. Make sure ponds have one sloping side to let frogs and toad in and out.
3. Leave a pile of dead wood in a shady spot. Large logs are best and will make a home for beetles, woodlice and millipedes.
4. Build a compost heap. It will save you money and shelter creatures, such as slow worms, that eat slugs. Grass snakes use compost heaps to keep their eggs warm.
5. Provide food and water to birds all year round. Bird tables can be a lifesaver during a heatwave.
6. Brighten the garden with flowers that provide nectar and pollen for insects. Butterfly-fiendly plants include buddleia, marjoram, lavender, valerian and hemp agrimony.
7. Encourage ivy. It provides pollen in the autumn, berries in February and shelter for insects over the winter.
8. Cut down on chemical
fertilisers and pesticides.