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Rewilding The Mound – green spaces at our Edinburgh office

We approached the Scottish Wildlife Trust for help in developing a site-specific habitat creation and management plan to enhance biodiversity at The Mound, our main Edinburgh office.

Lloyds Banking Group recognises that taking action to restore nature and protect biodiversity is crucial in helping to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

To tackle this, we’ve been transforming our approach to green spaces across our estate. For example, our main Edinburgh office in the city centre, known as The Mound, is surrounded by green spaces and also houses our free Museum on the Mound which welcomed 18,560 visitors in 2021.

We approached the Scottish Wildlife Trust for help in developing a site-specific habitat creation and management plan to enhance biodiversity.

Working with them, we learned through the Edinburgh Nature Network that The Mound is a very important location for creating stepping stone habitats for species to travel around the city, including pollinators and rare species such as the northern brown argus butterfly, as well as more common species such as bats, foxes and badgers.
 

The Mound is a very important location for creating stepping stone habitats for species to travel around the city.

A large newly-planted flower bed outside The Mound office building in Edinburgh.

The Nature Network

The Nature Network, developed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust in collaboration with over 40 multidisciplinary organisations, provides a strategic approach to prioritise actions to tackle the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss in the city. It also highlights opportunities for nature-based solutions, habitat network development and environmental enhancements that will provide multiple benefits for both people and wildlife.

In Edinburgh, the northern brown argus is only found in Holyrood Park; however, there is a perfect habitat at the nearby Calton Hill. Unfortunately, this butterfly cannot reach Calton Hill as the distance is too far with no suitable habitat to bridge the gap.

As The Mound is at the centre of several larger sites designated for natural heritage, such as Calton Hill, Holyrood Park and Princes Street Gardens, it is in a prime location to put the Nature Network into action and create stepping stone habitats to help the northern brown argus reach Calton Hill.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust designed a meadow with a mix of plants to create a habitat and provide a food resource for the northern brown argus, and other locally rare invertebrates such as the stonecrop fanner, a nationally scarce moth.

Lighting is managed to avoid interfering with moths and butterflies feeding in the garden, and we consulted with Butterfly Conservation Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland to ensure the correct mix of plants was chosen for the site.
 

Young child watering plants in a garden.

Everyone can play a small part to help connect habitats across built-up areas in the city, naturalising the spaces and contributing to nature’s recovery.

Working together

This work demonstrates how corporations like Lloyds Banking Group, local authorities, and environmental NGOs can work together towards a positive outcome for nature. We hope that The Mound will be the first of many stepping stone habitats throughout the city and that residents in Edinburgh can also play their part to help us connect northern brown argus habitats from Holyrood to Calton Hill and beyond.

The stepping stone habitats can be as small as windowsill planters with nectar-rich flowering plants, meaning that everyone can play a small part to help connect habitats across built-up areas in the city, naturalising the spaces and contributing to nature’s recovery.

Find out more about sustainability at Lloyds Banking Group

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Our operational emissions

Reducing the carbon footprint of our own operations is a key part of our sustainability strategy, and we’re working towards an ambitious set of commitments.

Our operational emissions

Environmental sustainability

Enabling the transition to a low carbon, more sustainable and inclusive future for people and businesses is key to delivering on our purpose.

Environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability report

This report provides an update on how we're supporting the transition to a low carbon economy.

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