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 Biodiversity Action Plans. Working collaboratively with national and local organisations and experts. And assisted by an active programme of volunteers and community groups.
We have been accredited by the Wildlife Trusts with its Biodiversity benchmark since 2013.
Biodiversity forms part of our sustainability policy - our Decade of Change.
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 Gatwick recreate habitat and encourage the return of rare or declining species that were once an integral part of the local landscape.
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.
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 recorded in these surveys was a Skylark in 1962 and the earliest recorded insect was the Brown Hawker dragonfly in 1977.
Read our Biodiversity Blog
Find out more about the work we do with the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership and Surrey Wildlife Trust.
