Wildlife takes off at London Heathrow

Heathrow Airport has been awarded the Wildlife Trust’s Biodiversity Benchmark for the seventh year running. The award is the only national award recognising responsible land management. Independent assessors visit over 40 organisations sites to judge their compliance against a stringent set of environmental requirements.

Heathrow’s biodiversity engineers manage a total of three 3 biodiversity sites at the airport which are home to a variety of British wildlife including stoats, weasels and toads. This year the airport has counted a record number of moths as well as a number of rare and notable species such as: Bee Orchids, Cetti’s Warblers and Nathusius’ Pipistrelle Bats.

The airport’s success is not only restricted to the furry, scaly or feathery: Heathrow also holds the last known wild population of Water Avens, a flowering plant with a distinctive purple colour, in Greater London. 

Matt Gorman, Heathrow's director of environment and sustainability said: “People may be surprised that Heathrow manages more than just runways and terminals, and that we have a species count rivalling the London Zoo within the airport grounds.

"Protecting and fostering these species is an important part of being a responsible business and yet another way in which Heathrow can give something back to the communities around us.”