Biodiversity

We need to protect the variety of life on earth today, so we can benefit from it tomorrow.

Even though we do not own significant areas of land, Carillion, like most businesses, has an impact on biodiversity – many of our projects are on or near locations with specific biodiversity issues.

In the UK, we conduct a biodiversity risk assessment and establish action plans, to minimise our impact where possible. These are aligned within our environmental management systems, and progress is reported quarterly through our Sustainability Excellence Model. Examples of actions include translocation of protected species, selective planting of trees and creating additional habitats.

Our people are pivotal to addressing the biodiversity risks. We deliver various training courses and talks on biodiversity, with information on different species our people may encounter and how to protect them. As a result, we did not have any significant impacts on species populations in 2010.

Biodiversity is currently considered under Contract Management Plans and Site Plans in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Canada respectively. We are planning to develop our strategy over the next year to further address biodiversity and implement it across MENA and Canada.

However, we want to go beyond protecting biodiversity: we want to enhance it. Our people often help local schools and hospitals create gardens and allotment areas, for example in our design and construction projects at schools in Redcar and Cleveland, we built sensory gardens for pupils to enjoy. Read about our ‘S’ Factor winning work at Harplands Hospital in Our people.

Carillion Natural Habitats Fund

To further our commitment to biodiversity projects across the UK, we set up the Carillion Natural Habitats Fund. To date, 48 projects have benefited from grants totalling over £300,000.

Any of the 47 UK Wildlife Trusts can apply to the Fund for grants to support their biodiversity projects. Our donations and our employee volunteering help the Trusts’‘ essential habitat and conservation work.

In 2010, the fund selected the following projects to support:

creating habitats for amphibians in Birmingham
clearing Staffordshire heath land of unwanted saplings
creating habitats for water voles in London and Sheffield
building an otter holt in Suffolk
restoring dunes in Lancashire.

10 years supporting UK Wildlife Trusts

Richard Tapp, Company Secretary and Director of Legal Services, Louise Perry, Head of Sustainability and Liz Coles, Training Services Centre Manager, are pictured here with Mike Dilger, nature presenter on the BBC’s The One Show, marking over 10 years of Carillion’s support for The Wildlife Trusts.

Mike presented the latest cheque for £35,000 to Staffordshire Wildlife Trust at Highgate Common, where Carillion has worked with the Trust to clear land to encourage heather and other heathland plants to grow, benefiting wildlife.

Carillion employees also volunteered to help create habitats for several declining species at the country park there. Highgate Common is one of the few places in the UK where the black mining bee is still found. Volunteers built ‘bee beaches’ – stretches of ground that the insects can tunnel into to make their nests.

“Our partnership with Carillion is an immensely valuable resource that has benefited dozens of Wildlife Trust projects right across the country.”

Guy Corbett-Marshall,
Chief Executive, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust