Biodiversity is in decline worldwide. We can all play a part in helping our local wildlife to thrive locally. Making the places where we live and work greener brings benefits for people and for nature.
How can your organisation help?
- Grow wildlife-friendly plants on your site. If you have space for flower borders or window boxes, brighten up your workplace by choosing attractive plants which are good for insects.
- Grow trees, shrubs or hedges and avoid cutting them back during nesting season. Planting shrubs will also give birds somewhere to hide from predators. Need help? The RSPB has great gardening advice.
- Install a green roof on your building. Green roofs can range from very small-scale projects, for example on bin stores, or grand designs that include roof gardens for people to spend time in. In built-up areas like Islington, greening our buildings in this way can help provide a multitude of benefits, such as air quality improvements, improve storm water management, and help from green corridors for wildlife.
- If you don’t have any space for planting, you can still help wildlife by putting up bird and bat boxes on your building. Boxes made of woodcrete are ideal as they are longer lasting and are better insulated than wood.
- Support swifts. Swifts are an iconic bird, visiting the UK each summer just for a few months and entirely dependent on buildings for nesting. The species is in decline but is doing well in Islington and you can help swifts out by installing swift boxes (or swift bricks if designing a building from scratch). Swift boxes also have the advantage of being attractive to other birds, such as house sparrows.
- Get staff involved – organise a corporate volunteer day. Contact our Parks Team for ideas of how your staff can take part in a volunteering activity at a local park.
What is Islington Council doing to help?
Islington Council has developed a five-year Biodiversity Action Plan to protect and enhance wildlife and greenspaces across the borough.
