With less than a week to go, I’m looking forward to taking part in judging the 2018 Big Biodiversity Challenge. It’s an opportunity to hear about the positive work being done by the construction industry over the last 2 years. It’s also an opportunity for organisations to showcase their hard work, going beyond business as usual to do one more thing for wildlife.
I’m still reminded of last year’s overall winner RG Group. The combined experience of the judges had no previous knowledge of this organisation! Their infectious enthusiasm to engage staff and local groups with simple and effective biodiversity enhancements was excellent. Many BIG entries are construction projects involving new housing, road and rail infrastructure. RG Group has demonstrated that even a retrofit project with no external works can do their bit for enhancing biodiversity and win awards.
There must be a plethora of small developments happening in existing buildings. An office fit-out, solar panels retro-fitted on a roof or a new restaurant in an office building. If they could take a step beyond business as usual, did just one thing, we could be in for a BIG surprise!
Rosie Whicheloe, Landscape Ecologist –London Wildlife Trust
Rosie’s new role will be to work with developers and design teams providing strategic ecology advice to some of London’s largest regeneration projects. She has over 8 years’ experience in biodiversity planning, green infrastructure and habitat assessment and design. Past projects at The Ecology Consultancy have included an Appraisal for sustainability for HS2 northern routes, a green grid strategy for a central London Business Improvement District and a review of wildlife sites for a London borough. Rosie is on the committee for the international association for Landscape Ecology UK Branch and editor for their online newsletter (www.iale.uk).