CREATING AND RESTORING ECOSYSTEMS

London Borough of Bromley – Restoration and preservation

London Borough of Bromley is Londons largest, greenest and most heavily wooded Borough. idverde manages all public greenspace on behalf of the municipal authority.

Bromley contains a wide range of semi-natural habitat types including ancient woodlands, wetlands, chalk, acid and neutral grasslands, veteran trees, farmlands and some of London’s last remaining lowland heath and valley mire, many of which contain protected species. We adopt a landscape level approach to the management of these greenspaces and by using systematic ecological monitoring programmes we are able to identify which species require specific conservation action for example hazel dormouse and European adder.

Our habitat management is a critical element of achieving the idverde Bromley Biodiversity Action Plan and is supported by our partnership with the RSPB. Furthermore idverde work closely with communities and partners to support conservation efforts across the Borough on a wide spectrum of taxonomic groups from mammals to lichens, reptiles to orchids.

Bromley has 93 Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs), which includes three idverde managed Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and 5 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs). Our aim is to protect and conserve Bromley’s countryside and provide facilities, access and opportunities for people to enjoy it without compromising animals and their habitats.

Conserving biodiversity is critical

It is now widely recognized that climate change and biodiversity are interconnected. Biodiversity is affected by climate change with negative consequences for human well-being, but biodiversity, through the ecosystem services it supports, also makes an important contribution to both climate-change mitigation and adaptation. Consequently, conserving and sustainably managing biodiversity is critical to addressing climate change.

Source: The Convention on Biological Diversity

Bakkedraget – Ecosystem and monitoring

Bakkedraget is a luxurious apartment complex with a natural-looking landscape that fits into the existing coastal environment. The aim of the project is to create a unique and sustainable area that is easy to maintain and with lots of biodiversity.

Recycling and using the already available resources at the site have been top priorities for idverde and the partners involved. This included reusing the soil for shaping the terrain, planting and enhancing the growth of the already established plants. The soil was scarce in nutrients, but the carefully selected plants for the beach meadow are thriving, so the main task is to support the growth conditions and increase the existing biodiversity of the area.

Nature-based solutions

• Using and reusing existing resources

• Restoring the existing biotope by carefully selecting a variety of plants that complement the already established plants

• Creating a beach meadow that accommodates the existing coastal area to benefit the local animals and insects