Biodiversity at Gatwick
Within our airport boundaries are 75 hectares of woodlands, grasslands and wetlands inhabited by hundreds of species of mammals, birds, insects and bees.
We actively manage these areas through our Biodiversity Action Plan, while working collaboratively with national and local organisations and experts. We are also fortunate to be assisted by a large number of volunteers and groups within the local community.
We have been accredited by the Wildlife Trusts with its Biodiversity benchmark since 2014.
Biodiversity forms part of our sustainability policy - our Decade of Change.
We value our biodiversity
Over 2,432 different species of plants, animals and fungi have been recorded on airport land.
Local naturalists and enthusiasts, as well as Gatwick commissioned surveys, have contributed to categorising the huge variety of species across the estate. The earliest species record in the database is a Skylark from 1962 and the earliest recorded insect was the Brown Hawker dragonfly in 1977.
Wildflower road verges
In 2020, we implemented a new road verge management approach to enhance biodiversity benefits from our greenspaces. We reduced cuts and collected cuttings to reduce nutrient load, supporting native wildflower populations.
Surveys of these areas in summer 2020 identified previously unrecorded flowering plant species, including two new positive indicator species.
Our road verge management
Digitising our biodiversity history
In 2018, Gatwick collaborated with the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre to begin compiling 55 years worth of species data.
This important centrally focused resource will help to inform our habitat management work and encourage the return of rare or declining species that were once an integral part of the local landscape.
Read our Biodiversity Blog
Find out more about the wildlife monitoring and work we carry out with the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership, and the Sussex Wildlife Trust.
