Overview
Our director Paul and Biodiversity Manager Adam, have been familiar with this major airport for many years. We have secured a multi-department contract delivering award-winning services.
Having begun with airfield management, Paul expertly guides airside operations on everything from regulation compliance to innovative carbon-tackling planting schemes. Additionally he oversees a variety of landscaping services and contracts for the airport.
Our ecology team has grown consistently, now supporting 6 full-time members of staff, including 3 full-time ecologists hosted by our client.
Since 2009 we have assisted in the retention of the Wildlife Trusts’: Biodiversity Benchmark Award, being reaccredited in April this year. We have also established complex Biodiversity Action Plans and site management schemes for the 170ha (420 acres) of land designated as Biodiversity Sites.
We are diversifying our services to the client by increasing training in areas such as water quality, bat acoustic surveying, beekeeping and more.
We have also really made a push to increase the volume of surveying we do this year and so far its been a huge success!
Achievements
– The Wildlife Trusts’: Biodiversity Benchmark Award (BBA)
– CIRIA: Legacy Awarded in 2019
– Supplier Contract
Winter 2026:
We kicked of the rather rainy year with willow tree coppicing works along a stretch of the river on our Duke of Northumberland Basin biodiversity site. The purpose of coppicing the trees rather than a complete removal is that they are able to regenerate and the because their roots are retained; continue to provide stability to the riverbank and reduce erosion. It also helps to create a more diverse riverside habitat by increasing light to the ground and water, benefiting plants, insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife, while helping to manage tree health, flood risk, and river flow. We welcomed a herd of cows to graze one of our sites, which serves as a natural method in managing grassland habitat. Introducing cattle to a site helps to maintain a diverse mosaic of habitats by controlling dominant vegetation, preventing scrub and invasive species from taking over, and creating varied grass heights that benefit a wide range of plants and wildlife.
A series of tree planting days was delivered, bringing together Heathrow volunteers to plant over 400 trees across two of our biodiversity sites. The initiative saw a variety of tree species, including apple and pear, planted to enhance habitat diversity, strengthen ecological resilience, and provide long-term benefits for biodiversity. We also hosted a series of other which included creating a wildflower patch, planting wildflower bulbs and hedgerows, building hibernacula, coppicing willow, carrying out woodland management, and litter picking, all contributing to the enhancement of local habitats and biodiversity.
Some other work that kept us busy this winter:
- Butterfly Egg Survey – Focus on recording the presence of Brown Hairstreak eggs.
- Bird Box Surveying – Recorded their location, signs of use, cleaning or replacing any damaged boxes.
- Volunteering Event – Hibernaculum creation and wildflower bulb planting with a Heathrow Work Party.
- Dead Elm Tree Removal Works – Removed to improve site safety and support healthy woodland management.
- Glade Creation – Created to allow more sunlight into the woodland, increase habitat diversity, and monitor how wildlife responds.
- Tree Guard Removal -Removed from established trees that no longer require this level of protection.
- Plantation Thinning – Carried out selective thinning to improve tree health and woodland biodiversity on one of our closed sites.
- Invasive Pampas Grass Removal – Removed as it outcompetes native vegetation, spreads rapidly and increases fire risk.
Spring 2026:
As spring got underway, we continued our ongoing programme of biodiversity enhancement and ecological monitoring across our sites. Preparations were made for another busy beekeeping season, including building new bee frames, servicing and organising equipment, and carrying out early inspections of our apiaries. These activities helped ensure the hives were ready for the season ahead and supported the continued health of our bee colonies. We also received new trail cameras, kindly donated by Fujitsu, which will be used to strengthen wildlife monitoring and provide further insight into species activity across key habitats.
We have successfully supported Heathrow in retaining the Wildlife Trusts’ Biodiversity Benchmark for yet another year!
Other activities undertaken during the summer season include:
- Butterfly, Moth & Reptile Surveying Begins
- Bat Box Surveying – Recorded their location, signs of use, cleaning or replacing any damaged boxes.
- INNS Mapping on the Rivers – Mapped invasive species presence and distribution along the rivers.
- Volunteering – For World Bee Day, volunteers took part in a bee hotel building competition and a game of wildlife bingo.
- Bat Surveying Season Begins – Using static detectors and Batlogger devices to record ultrasonic calls for acoustic analysis.
Summer 2026:
Starting in June, we carried out Floating Pennywort removal on the Twin Diverted Rivers. This invasive aquatic plant was hand-pulled from the watercourses, helping to prevent its rapid spread- it can grow up to 20 cm per day. This work is vital because Floating Pennywort can quickly dominate river systems, outcompeting native vegetation, and reducing biodiversity by restricting light and oxygen levels in the water. Regular removal helps to protect the ecological health of the rivers and supports the recovery of native aquatic habitats.
We were also pleased to welcome Ben, who joined the team as a Biodiversity Conservation Officer!
Further work undertaken throughout the summer included:
- Volunteering Day for Insect Week – Making sweep nets, moth trap demonstration and wildlife bingo.
- Invasive Himalayan and Orange Balsam Removal – Using the hand-pulling method.
- Continued Surveying Effort- Bats, Butterflies, Moths, Birds, Bees and more.
- Boardwalk Repairs- These works have seen us gain a stunning new boardwalk at Causeway Nature Reserve.
Check back here to see what work we continue to do this summer.
This is simply a flavour of the work we do at Heathrow Airport – You can keep up to date with what we get up to by following the team on Instagram & Facebook or checking our Latest News right here on our website!