Global sites
In November 2020 a global pharmaceutical client announced sustainability goals for both climate and nature, aiming to have a net zero impact on climate and a net positive impact on nature by 2030. Our role is to advise the client on being nature positive by 2030 at all sites, including creating a biodiversity action plan at all sites by 2025. The sites are located in North America, UK, Europe, North Africa and Asia spread across a range of climatic zones with high biodiversity potential. Sites range in size from small urban spaces to large campuses often with established planting for horticultural interest and intensively managed.
Ramboll’s support
In the first instance Ramboll is seeking to understand the current biodiversity at each site to establish a baseline value. An important aspect is to also look beyond the site boundary to identify opportunities to link with nearby wildlife sites, connect with green corridors or help deliver local conservation initiatives, such as a pollinator strategy.
Ramboll is using and adapting the UK biodiversity metric developed by Defra and Natural England to measure baseline biodiversity and underpin measurable targets for nature enhancement. Adaptation of the metric relates to a transposition of criteria to assess temperate habitats and their condition to other biogeographical regions, such as arid or tropical regions. The metric is particularly suited to representing biodiversity on developed and urbanised sites.
Creating natural landscapes
An action plan and landscape design has been developed for a flagship UK site where Ramboll landscape designers are creating themes areas across the site including a new pond, nature trail through woodland, and wildflower meadows. In addition, the client and Ramboll are working with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew whose botanists are advising on wildflower meadows and a medicinal garden filled with plants used in pharmaceutical products providing an important connection between nature and the client's core business.
Importantly, the connection with nature has been shown to lead to enhanced wellbeing for people (employees) and spaces for gatherings are designed, including outdoor furniture from sustainably sourced materials (eg FSC wood).
Science-Based Targets for Nature
The client is transforming its workplaces for nature and for employee wellbeing through the Science Based Targets for Nature network (https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/sbtn). It is important to ensure that the client's nature positive goals are optimised and achievable, and progress towards them is measurable, which the use of biodiversity metrics, action plans and management plans ensures.