Biodiversity
We actively manage these areas through our Biodiversity Action Plan. We're fortunate to be aided by national and local experts and groups, as well as volunteers in our community.
We have been accredited by the Wildlife Trusts with its Biodiversity Benchmark since 2014.
Biodiversity forms part of our Decade of Change policy. Within our estate are 75 hectares of woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands. Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, insects, and bees live in these spaces.
Our Second Decade of Change to 2030Over 2,432 species of plants, animals and fungi have been recorded at London Gatwick. We've been able to categorise this huge variety thanks to help from members of the local community and surveys we have commissioned.
The earliest species recorded is a Skylark from 1962. The earliest recorded insect was the Brown Hawker dragonfly in 1977.
We've put in place a new approach to managing road verges, to boost biodiversity benefits from our green spaces. We reduced cuts and collected cuttings to reduce nutrient load, which supports native wildflowers.
Surveys in summer of 2020 identified previously unrecorded flowering plant species, including two new positive indicator species.
Working with the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre we began compiling 55 years’ of species data. This will inform our work and help encourage the return of rare or declining species.
