How you can make a difference to your local wildlife and nature

Across the country, wildlife is struggling. But the answer isn’t only in nature reserves or big countryside projects. It’s in the millions of gardens sitting right outside our homes.

You might have heard the phrase “Biodiversity Net Gain” (BNG). Strip away the jargon, and it simply means this: leave nature better than you found it. More plants, more habitats, more life.

And here’s the part most people miss - gardens are one of the easiest places to make that happen.

A slightly wilder patch of grass. Native plants instead of neat borders. A corner left undisturbed. These aren’t big changes, but they create food, shelter, and safe routes for wildlife. And when neighbours start doing the same, those small patches join up into something much more powerful.

You don’t need to redesign everything. You just need to see your garden differently, and make a few smart changes that let nature back in.

How you can make an impact

Creating nature-friendly places isn’t something we can do alone, it works best when everyone plays a part. So, here’s a few things you can do to get involved and to promote biodiversity and nature too.

Strata’s Approach to Nature

As a homebuilder, we have the ability to make huge impacts on the biodiversity and nature in the communities we build. Our Biodiversity & Nature Policy sets out how we will protect, enhance and celebrate nature across our developments.

This sits alongside our Sustainability Strategy and reinforces our ambition to create healthy, inclusive and resilient communities, where people feel connected to the natural environment around them. 

Through this policy, Strata are committing to: 

• Designing developments that incorporate biodiverse landscapes and wildlife features from the outset
• Creating green spaces that support both nature and community wellbeing
• Enhancing existing wildlife corridors and habitats
• Ensuring landscapes are managed in ways that allow nature to flourish
• Helping our customers, colleagues and partners connect with nature  

To bring our Biodiversity & Nature Policy to life, we’ve introduced a Biodiversity Checklist alongside new design specifications and processes that help ensure nature is considered throughout the design and delivery of our developments. 

This means we’re taking a consistent approach to: 

• Creating space for nature, including wildflower areas and wildlife-friendly green spaces
• Planting the right species, prioritising native trees and pollinator-friendly planting
• Supporting wildlife, with features such as hedgehog highways, bird and bat boxes
• Managing landscapes differently, allowing habitats like wildflower meadows to flourish
• Using nature to build resilience, including sustainable drainage and nature-based flood solutions  

These measures help ensure that our developments are designed not only for people, but for the wildlife and ecosystems that share these spaces with us.