Services — London
Biodiversity evidence grounded in real monitoring data — supporting ESG reporting, BREEAM ecology credits, and Biodiversity Net Gain for commercial buildings across London.
Biodiversity is no longer a nice-to-have for commercial property. ESG frameworks, BREEAM assessments, and the Biodiversity Net Gain requirement under the Environment Act 2021 all demand evidence — not intentions. The question facing building managers and sustainability teams is: what does the biodiversity on our building actually look like, and how do we demonstrate improvement?
Urban Bees has been monitoring pollinators on London buildings since 2009. We produce monitoring reports with real species data, trend comparisons, and documented improvement over time. That evidence is directly useful for ESG reporting, BREEAM credits, and BNG calculations — and it is grounded in fieldwork, not desktop assessments.
We also advise on habitat design and management practices that demonstrably improve biodiversity, so that your reporting reflects genuine ecological improvement rather than compliance paperwork.
Our ESG and biodiversity consultancy draws on fieldwork, monitoring data, and practical habitat expertise — not generic ecological assessments.
An initial survey establishing which bee and pollinator species are present on your site, what habitat features exist, and what the current ecological value of the space is. The starting point for any improvement programme.
Regular written reports documenting the species recorded on each survey visit, seasonal trends, and year-on-year comparisons. Reports are designed to be read by building managers and sustainability teams, not ecologists.
Specific, actionable advice on planting, nesting habitat, and maintenance practices that will increase species diversity — with priority actions ranked by impact and practicality for your site.
Documentation and evidence to support credits in the BREEAM Ecology and Land Use category, including ecological value assessments, habitat enhancement records, and long-term management commitments.
Baseline and post-improvement data suitable for BNG calculations, including species richness counts, habitat condition assessments, and documented enhancement actions tied to measurable outcomes.
Species counts, trend data, habitat scores, and before-and-after comparisons formatted for use in annual sustainability reports, investor communications, and public-facing CSR materials.
Most ecological assessments for commercial buildings are desk-based exercises drawing on mapped habitats and national datasets. Our evidence comes from regular fieldwork on your specific site — species identified, behaviour recorded, changes documented. That distinction matters when demonstrating genuine biodiversity improvement to investors, certifiers, and sustainability frameworks.
Our monitoring data and habitat evidence is relevant across the main sustainability and biodiversity frameworks used by UK commercial property.
We provide habitat enhancement records, ecological value assessments, and long-term management documentation to support credits in the Ecology and Land Use category — particularly Ecology Credit 1 (Site Selection), Credit 2 (Ecological Value), and Credit 4 (Enhancing Site Ecology).
The Environment Act 2021 requires a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain for new developments. Our baseline surveys and post-improvement monitoring provide species richness and habitat condition data suitable for use in BNG metric calculations.
We provide measurable, auditable biodiversity metrics — species counts, trend data, habitat scores — formatted for inclusion in ESG reports aligned with GRI, SASB, TCFD, and TNFD nature-related disclosure frameworks.
The WELL Building Standard includes biophilic design and access to nature as factors in occupant wellbeing. Our monitoring data and engagement sessions support WELL credits relating to nature access and ecological connection.
Urban Bees works alongside Pollinating London Together, whose independent habitat surveys have assessed several of our sites — producing third-party scores that carry weight in corporate and investor reporting.
We successfully partnered with Urban Bees to incorporate bees into our wider biodiversity action plan. Urban Bees conducted site visits across our campuses to identify suitable locations to install bee hotels and recommended bee-friendly perennials for our maintenance contractors to plant year-round. The monitoring reports give us concrete evidence of the biodiversity improvements we're making.
Dr Nicola Hogan, Sustainability Manager (Operations), King's College LondonI always look forward to Alison's monitoring reports and am continually amazed by the number of different species of tiny solitary bees foraging so high up on a windy rooftop in Central London. It really shows that if you plant the right flowers, the bees will come — even 12 storeys up.
Sarah Fraser, Building Manager, Central St Giles — BloomsburyWe discuss your building, your sustainability goals, and the frameworks you are working to. We identify which data and evidence would be most useful and agree the scope of work.
We visit your site and conduct a baseline assessment — recording existing species, habitat features, and conditions. This establishes the starting point against which improvement will be measured.
Based on the baseline, we produce a prioritised set of habitat improvement recommendations — planting, nesting provision, maintenance changes — with expected species outcomes for each action.
Regular survey visits throughout the season produce monitoring reports documenting species recorded, trends, and progress against the improvement plan. Reports are suitable for direct inclusion in ESG and sustainability documentation.
At the end of each season, we produce an annual summary covering all surveys, cumulative species data, habitat score, improvement actions taken, and a forward plan — formatted for use in annual ESG and sustainability reports.
We provide biodiversity monitoring and ESG evidence for commercial buildings across London, including:
ESG evidence is most valuable when it reflects genuine ecological improvement. Find out about the habitat services that generate the biodiversity our monitoring documents.
Rooftop pollinator habitat design & planting →
'Biodiversity evidence that comes from fieldwork on your building is worth more than any desktop assessment.'
— Urban Bees
Whether you're working to a specific framework or simply want to understand and improve the ecological value of your site, we can help.
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