Canary Wharf was created on the site of the former West India Docks that had ceased operation by 1980. The area is thus a brownfield site, with very little indigenous biodiversity. The dock silt is officially classified as contaminated.
From its beginnings as a commercial area in 1988 parks and outdoor spaces were seen as essential to improve the environment for tenants and visitors and were included in development plans. However it became clear that there were a variety of species present on the estate and others soon became attracted by the green areas and waterways. The importance of maintaining those species and habitats and encouraging new was cemented by the production of the first Canary Wharf Group Biodiversity Action Plan (CWG BAP) which was published in 2004 with the intention of promoting conservation and enhancing biodiversity in the Canary Wharf.
The initial plan has been revised several times, the most extensive revision taking place in October 2009 where new species and habitats recently identified as ‘threatened’ in National and Regional Biodiversity Action Plans were reviewed and where appropriate added to the CWG BAP.
Habitats and Flora
One of the aims of the CWG BAP is to create more habitats to encourage different levels of the food chain. To this end more parks and planting have been included in the design of new buildings and the infrastructure itself both on land and water.
Planting
Colourful seasonal planting was introduced early in 2008. This encourages more diverse species of insect and therefore supports the various species of birds that live on the estate as well as encourage others to visit and make their homes here.
Various species of mature trees have been planted on the estate infrastructure, both British natives and overseas species. All green areas are maintained by a dedicated landscape team using composted green waste, and by limited use of animal friendly pesticides ensure that species numbers as well as plants are maintained.
Green Roofs
The Canary Wharf Estate has the highest concentration of green roofs in the UK. Green roofs have several benefits not just for ecology but also for climate change mitigation by reducing the amount of cooling needed in a building in summer and heating in winter therefore reducing energy consumption and thus CO2 emissions. Canary Wharf as a Brownfield site provided a home for the Black Redstart. Despite construction on the estate the species is still present as the new green roofs provided a new habitat for the birds as well as the insect life to support them. In addition CWG have funded a three year research project ‘Green Roofs and Biodiversity’ a key action for the London Biodiversity Partnership’s Black Redstart action plan.
The inclusion of green roofs is considered and encouraged during the design stage of new builds. Recently green roofs were installed during construction on the DS3 West, BP2 and the Park Pavilion projects and three future projects, Riverside, Heron Quays West and BP4 projects will have green roofs on completion. Several of the roofs were retrofitted and we are educating other building owners on the estate as to their benefits and the possibility of retrofitting on more buildings.
Waterways
Canary Wharf is surrounded by the old dock areas. The dock walls are concrete and therefore are inhospitable to aquatic birds. To provide safe areas and nesting sites we have installed several rafts in the north and middle docks which are regularly used for nesting. A reed bed was installed in the North Dock of the Estate in 2007 and recently moved to the middle dock. This encompassed two aims:
- To increase the number of reed beds in the UK as targeted in the UK BAP.
- To provide a further area for aquatic birds to rest. Aquatic birds regularly use the reed beds with a swan, moor hen, grebe and coot successfully nesting in 2010
Fauna
Bird Species
The Canary Wharf estate is home to various types of fauna. The most visible presence being birds. In the latest revision of the CWG BAP several species were added, for example the House Sparrow which is already present on the Wharf and is now listed as threatened on the UK BAP.
Bird boxes have already been installed in various locations around the estate and have been in use and further are being installed in consultation with the RSPB to ensure the best type are purchased and placed in suitable areas. In partnership with Mudchute Farm, local children have constructed swift boxes that have been placed in the pyramid of One Canada Square and a calling system is operated during the nesting season each year. This has also been done in partnership with the London Swift Project
Aquatic Species
Although the water in the dock areas is classed as contaminated, regular cleaning has made it more attractive to various species of freshwater and saltwater fish including Flounder, Plaice, Bream and Rudd. The docks are regularly used by aquatic birds and a seal has been seen in the North Dock on several occasions.