21 May 2021
Honey bees at our Brookhaven development in Queensland, Australia.
Why should we care for biodiversity? Scientists and experts have repeatedly warned that urgent action is needed if we are to avoid a global ecological collapse – biodiversity has declined by more than a quarter in the last 35 years according to a recent World Wildlife Fund study1. Research now shows that restoring and protecting nature is not just essential for tackling climate change, but has a direct correlation to creating greater resilience against pandemics2. Protecting natural habitats rich in variety of plant and animal life provides a beneficial buffer preventing pathogens in the wild from spread to people easily3.
The International Day for Biological Diversity – a United Nations sanctioned day – falls on 22 May annually. This year, the focus is on ‘We’re part of the solution #ForNature’, which serves to remind us that biodiversity helps solve several sustainable development challenges.
At Frasers Property, sustainability is a critical aspect of how we purposefully inspire experiences and create places for good. In all our projects, across our different real estate properties ranging from retail malls, business parks, residential developments to serviced apartments, we strive to conserve, regenerate, and enhance local ecosystems as well as support biodiversity.
Find out how we do our part for nature with responsible and sustainable development that includes planting countless trees, seeding local wildflowers and cultivating vertical gardens and urban farms. In so doing, we attract wildlife such as bees, birds, hedgehogs and aquatic insects.
1. Bees to the rescue
You might ask, why and how can bees support biodiversity? As nature’s best pollinators, bees play an integral role in our habitat. They help to contribute to the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants which then serve as food and shelter for other creatures.
Our Brookhaven development in Queensland, Australia – a connected, sustainable masterplanned community – first introduced beehives to the estate back in 2018 and now produces over 100kg of honey annually. Check out how Haven Honey is being made here!
Haven Honey, made at our Brookhaven development in Queensland, Australia.
2. Going bananas to green and feed
In Thailand, our team cultivates bananas on a 400 square metres land at Frasers Property Logistics Park (Bangna) in Chachoengsao province. The Gros Michel banana variety contains high nutritional value and is planted for its relatively short cycle of about 45 days to fruit.
Yields from 76 banana trees planted at the logistics park are used for company activities such as our Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Day last September, which commemorated our local business’ sustainability strategies and progress.
Since bananas are a popular staple food, we also distribute, from time to time, our local produce to our tenants and the local community.
Our Gros Michel bananas grow abundantly at Frasers Property Logistics Park (Bangna) and are distributed to tenants, employees and the local community.
3. Urban farming at Burwood Brickworks
Burwood Brickworks in Melbourne features residential homes set in lush open parklands and landscaped parks with a shopping centre – the first of its kind in Australia and globally – for its sensitive sustainable build that includes urban agricultural spaces for food production.
Burwood Brickworks is recently recognised as the world’s first and most sustainable shopping centre. It achieved the Living Building Challenge® Petal Certification, widely regarded for having the most rigorous sustainability standards in real estate globally. We are extremely proud that the construction and development of this greenfield precinct has further strengthened local biodiversity.
On the mall’s rooftop is a 2,500m2 urban farm planted with over 200 varieties of food crops. The urban farm consisting of outdoor farm beds and a glasshouse provides fresh local produce – seasonal fruits, herbs and vegetables – to acre farm & eatery as well as helps engage the local community via educational workshops. Reared quails produce eggs and beehives provide the gift of honey. What’s more, the farm is entirely organic and chemical-free, relying on composting and worm farming to build up soil health.
Locally grown organic produce at the urban farm in Burwood Brickworks Shopping Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
Hydroponics inside the Burwood Brickworks glasshouse at the shopping centre.
4. Vertical gardens for an invigorating biophilic uplift
One Central Park located in Chippendale, Sydney – comprised of two residential towers above a retail podium – incorporates innovative and environmentally ambitious design principles.
Its key defining features would certainly be the sheer number of plants growing in its vertical gardens designed by renowned French botanist Patrick Blanc, and a monumental heliostat that reflects sunlight for year-round lighting to its otherwise shaded areas. The property’s lush and attractive greenery is very much welcomed by the local community and also provides cleaner air.
Verdant vertical gardens on the façade of One Central Park in Chippendale, Sydney, Australia.
5. Wildlife at our business parks
From hedgehog houses, bug hotels to bird boxes, our UK team creates biodiverse, green spaces attracting wildlife across all our business parks.
At Farnborough Business Park, Chineham Park and Winnersh Triangle in the UK, we have been working with an award-winning landscape consultant to support greater biodiversity by first identifying spaces that would benefit from ecological improvements, before regenerating with local flora to provide wildlife connections linking natural woodlands surrounding our business parks. Check out these videos to find out how these new biodiversity areas have been formed and the types of wildlife they attract:
In the midst of UK’s lockdown in 2020, our biodiversity experts took the time to prepare these short videos in our business parks. The videos are shared with local primary schools regularly as multimedia materials to support teachers with educating on local biodiversity.
Pit stop for bugs! Our bug hotels at Winnersh Triangle are home to a large variety of insects including the woodlouse, minotaur beetle, and european earwig.
Nesting boxes for birds at Winnersh Triangle attract species like black birds, great tits and collared doves.
6. Close to nature at our industrial properties
We adopt an integrated approach at our industrial properties to ensure our tenants and customers gain the most out of our local sustainability initiatives. Some examples include bird nesting boxes at Yatala Central in Australia, a lizard habitat at Frasers Park Egelsbach, and beehive colonies at our Frasers Logistics Park in Germany. For more, read here.
Footnotes:
1 “So what’s the problem?”, World Wildlife Fund, 2021.
2 “COVID-19 and its link with Biodiversity, Illegal Wildlife Trafficking and Bioculturality”, UNESCO,2021.
3 "A diversity of wildlife is good for human health”, National Science Foundation, 2021.
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