FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
FMJ reports on how the Wildfell nature-recovery project from Ground Control is strategically restoring nature, engaging partners, and creating economic value through biodiversity net gain
Escape the rat race and take your workplace to the Wildfell Centre for Environmental Recovery. A place to take a breath, motivate the workforce and understand how you can achieve your biodiversity and ESG objectives.
Known as Wildfell, the Wildfell Centre of Environmental Recovery based near Braintree in Essex, is a nature-recovery project from Ground Control that will transform an area of arable farmland into a flourishing area of nature, projected to sequester [i.e. capture and remove CO2 from the earth’s atmosphere] 18,000 t CO2e by year 2050 while also:
- Showcasing tangible methods of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and Carbon Sequestration.
- Testing the design, delivery, and management of nature-based solutions
- Acting as an educational facility, allowing clients and partners to join planting and BNG-focused activities and learn from our in-house experts.
At 296 acres, Wildfell is the biggest nature-recovery project undertaken by Ground Control and was made possible by an initial £2 million investment by the company’s ‘Evergreen Fund’, which donates five per cent of the company’s profits to drive positive environmental change.
Initially known for external maintenance and landscaping, Ground Control has continually evolved to offer complementary services to facilities and grounds managers with its expertise now including arboriculture, ecology, and biodiversity net gain within the company’s portfolio. At Wildfell, Ground Control has been able to support a growing need for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Units, an evidence-based approach to environmentally positive land management and support in meeting environmental legislation requirements.
Conscious that not all facilities managers are given the opportunity to deliver environmental recovery plans onsite, Wildfell acts as both an educational tool and an off-site provider to support businesses in their quest to become a greener organisation.
STRONG FOUNDATION FOR NATURE
A vast number of services and expertise have helped create a place where indicator species such as otters and bats have returned to the area. It’s a place where new planting schemes have reconnected ancient woodlands to give them a new lease of life and where partnerships with charities like the Bumblebee Conservation Trust can trial new ways to support pollinators.
To reach this point, Wildfell’s humble beginnings required a combination of surveys, assessments, and investigations to understand baseline ecological and biodiversity value and the context of surroundings. Based on the belief that it is important to work with nature and within the parameters of what is achievable, in summer 2021 a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, Mapping, Species Specific Surveys, eDNA and DNA Testing, Biodiversity Metric Calculations and Water Quality testing all took place.
The significance of these tests will become increasingly apparent at Wildfell as improvements and changes are being tracked and the project assessed to see positive change for nature and species, actions for partners and economic feasibility.
