The urban jungle
When staging one of the largest events in the world, you could be forgiven for not immediately considering the fate of the local flora and fauna – but it does matter. How do you prepare for something as big as London 2012 without disrupting the local ecology?
“Despite appearances, urban sites can support rich biodiversity. The Olympic Park is a good example of this,” says Kim Olliver, Atkins’ senior ecologist. She leads a team of ecological consultants working on the site of the future Olympic Park. A mix of industrial and often contaminated land, this area has been subject to decades of neglect. However, as Olliver points out, this does not mean its ecological importance should be underestimated.
“In pockets of wetland, woodland and waterway habitat, a variety of significant species has been found,” she says. “This has included rare invertebrates, Sand Martins and Kingfishers, bats and fish. It also features native trees such as the London Plane, which can be up to 70 years old. It’s essential that we preserve them wherever possible.”
Before construction work can start on any project, developers must complete an environmental impact assessment, of which ecology is an important element. Working alongside organisations such as the Environment Agency and Natural England, Atkins has ensured that the interests of the local wildlife come first, while helping developers meet their legal environmental requirements with minimum disruption and cost.
Says Olliver. “We provide advice to the client on what environmental assessments, monitoring and mitigation are required and how to implement the various measures as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Legislation such as the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act and the Wildlife and Countryside Act are designed to prevent damage to the rare and protected sites around England and Wales. The conversation about ecology has to start right at the beginning of the planning process and with
early discussion and a proper understanding of the likely effects on a site’s ecology, any potential barriers to meeting project deadlines can be successfully managed.
Putting down roots
Atkins’ ecology consultants work with clients across the UK on projects of all sizes, from preservation and translocation of entire habitats and populations – as at the London 2012 site – to smaller-scale survey work.
Olliver liaises regularly with everyone from civil engineers and geotechnical specialists to horticultural experts and utility inspectors. One key area is the remediation strategy to clear the site of invasive weed species which are managed using environmentally sound techniques prior to construction.
The overall aim is to preserve the existing biodiversity or, better still, to improve it. At the London 2012 site, increasing biodiversity through the creation and enhancement of habitats has been central to the ongoing ecology programme and a 10,000sq m nature reserve has also been created.
Rare habitat has been translocated to the new reserve and an important invertebrate habitat has been created to compensate for one lost during construction of the stadium. Work also had to be undertaken to ensure ecological connectivity is maintained or even enhanced.
Sometimes derelict and apparently unimportant urban environments can be vital to the survival of a species, so these sites often act as parts of much larger networks. Together, they allow the UK to hold one of the largest varieties of protected sites in Europe.
“By having a thorough understanding of the ecology and the requirements at sites such as the Olympic Park, and by managing that efficiently, we can ensure that project delays and costs are kept to a minimum,” says Olliver. “Most importantly, we can help to make sure that the rich biodiversity of the UK is preserved and enhanced for generations to come.”