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Native animals can make excellent neighbors. Blue-banded bees pollinate our vegetable gardens. Microbats eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes a night and powerful owls keep rodents at bay. But could we go one step further, and change our homes to invite native animals in as housemates?

and have an important role in tackling the extinction crises for animals, plants and insects. As cities , our buildings have become increasingly important habitat for wildlife.

Animals are not the only ones to benefit. Evidence shows noticing wildlife at home can lead to . Co-habitating with wildlife can also help you .

But how can we intentionally design our homes to co-inhabit with wildlife? That's the question explored by , a new work at the National Gallery of Victoria. The work, created by the authors of this article, uses data from Wildlife Victoria to explore how homes can become shared ecological resources.

Here are eight easy ways to invite wildlife into your home and backyard.

1. Give butterflies a drink from your air con

Urban butterflies around the world. At the same time, water dripping from air conditioners . Studies show .

Butterflies, for example, like to sip water from shallow water sources because they tend to get stuck in deeper water.

Solution? beneath your air conditioner vent to create a "puddling" station for butterflies. This will transform what would otherwise go down our drains into habitat for a beloved pollinator.

2. Provide city birds with scarce nesting material

The scarcity of natural nesting materials in cities poses challenges for some animals. Many are forced to —s´Ç³¾±ð³Ù¾±³¾±ð²õ such as plastics into their nests.

Solution? Leave a such as lawn clippings, native grasses, bark strips and untreated hair. This will help native birds such as and

3. Move indoor plants away from windows

Glass doors and windows are a serious threat to birds. In the United States alone, as many as a billion birds each year are killed or badly injured flying into glass.

Solution? Move indoor plants out of view through windows and doors so birds don't mistake them for habitat. Or put anti-collision stickers on your windows, ensuring they are high contrast in color and .

4. Remove the concrete from your backyard

Concrete slabs destroy soil microorganisms and prevent animals from digging and tunneling to create nesting sites.

Wombats are . Their burrowing aerates soil, improves water infiltration and cycles organic material and nutrients. But urban development fragments their habitat and concrete foundations seal off natural soil ecosystems. When this happens, wombats adapt by creating alternative burrow systems under houses, decks and other human structures.

Solution? Remove the concrete slabs from your backyard and leave open soil with vegetation or a raised deck in its place.

5. Leave the cavities in your houses unsealed

Natural tree hollows are due to urban sprawl and tree removals. It has forced microbats and other hollow-dependent species to seek refuge in , such as wall cavities, roof voids and building crevices.

Solution? Let the bats continue . If you are bothered by them, wait until they leave, then provide a so they can safely continue living.

6. Plant the 'missing' layer birds need

Australian cities are missing a crucial habitat layer—the "middle story" between ground cover and tall trees. This gap in coverage allows aggressive species such as noisy miners to dominate, .

Solution? to create a bushy layer of 2–4 meters. This helps smaller birds such as Superb Fairy-wrens find places to hide. It's also useful to include habitat elements such as .

7. Keep your cats inside

Every free-roaming cat . Feral and free-roaming cats in Australia.

Cats have played , and are a big reason why populations of at least 123 other threatened native species are declining.

Solution? "Catios," or cat patios, cats to experience nature but keep wildlife safe from predators.

8. Build a frog sauna

Some of the best wildlife-friendly ideas are surprisingly simple. , for instance, are small structures with frog-sized holes, made from black bricks or similar materials that heat up in the sun. These structures help fight chytrid fungus, a devastating disease that's pushing many Australian frog species toward extinction.

Chytrid thrives in cold conditions but dies in heat, making these warm refuges potentially life-saving for local amphibians. Instructions for building your own frog sauna are , requiring little more than recycled materials and a sunny spot in your garden.

A shared future

Australian cities are important for conserving biodiversity—and our homes can help. Thoughtful, intentional design can better support the species that need our support.

If you want to find ways to co-habitate with native wildlife, click for more solutions.

is part of the exhibition Making Good: Redesigning the Everyday, showing at the NGV Ian Potter Gallery. The exhibition explores how designers are reshaping the products and systems that shape our daily lives.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .