The UK’s leading open space management company, Meadfleet, is through to the finals of this year’s BIG Biodiversity Challenge Awards run by Ciria (the Construction Industry Research and Information Association). Their Bee Friendly campaign is up for the top prize in two categories, competing against some impressive contenders from within the construction sector.
While this is good news for Meadfleet, it’s even greater news for the industry as a whole. Construction and conservation have not always gone hand in hand, but with pressure mounting on developers to adopt more ecologically-friendly strategies, the tide is clearly turning. Bee Friendly, launched by Meadfleet in 2019 is a perfect example of how wildlife and humans can peacefully and harmoniously co-exist.
Designed to create new habitats for bees and other pollinating insects, Meadfleet have committed to planting:
- 23,000m² of meadow to try and replace some of what has been lost in the UK (97% of all wildflower meadows since the 1930s)
- 1500m of new hedgerow including native shrub and tree species to provide nectar in spring, berries in autumn and natural habitats for birds and mammals
- 50,000 new bulbs in a mix of species which also provide nectar throughout spring
Paul Cassidy, Ecology and Conservation Manager at Meadfleet said:
“We take our role in open space management seriously, with thousands of acres of green space under our stewardship. There is endless potential for us to create biodiverse habitats for the many wildlife species with whom we share this planet. This is the legacy that we want to build and pass on to future generations who will care for, and live on, the developments we oversee. Bee Friendly is one such ambitious project, but there are others, such as our mission to become carbon neutral, which we are proud to have achieved.”