Boosting biodiversity

We are proud to announce a programme of biodiversity improvements across 67 Royal Mail locations nationally. The improvement will vary from site to site and includes wildflower meadows, tree planting, bird boxes and reduced spring mowing. 

Biodiversity is a measure of the variety in living species on earth, everything from insects to plants and birds… to whole systems such as forests and moors. Our environment strategy recognises that reducing carbon emissions and protecting biodiversity are two sides of the same coin, and as the UK’s greenest parcel operator we have a responsibility to do more. 

Last year, we welcomed ‘The Nurture Group’ as our ground maintenance contractors who have been helping to identify ways we can make our sites more welcoming to insect and bird life.

To mark the launch of our biodiversity programme, we’re participating in national ‘No Mow May’ at some of our sites, leaving strips of grassland to grow a little longer than normal. This helps:

• Preserve biodiversity: Allowing grass and wildflowers to flourish without mowing creates habitats for various insects, birds, and small mammals, contributing to the health of the ecosystem.
• Support pollinators: Wildflowers in unmowed lawns serve as vital sources of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. This, in turn, helps maintain these populations, which are crucial to the pollination of numerous plant species.
• Sequester (absorb) carbon: Longer grass has a greater capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. By leaving grass to grow naturally, we support carbon sequestration and help mitigate climate change.

So if you see a strip of unmowed lawn this May, see if you can spot bees, butterflies or other habitat hanging around. 

‘No Mow May’ is a national campaign. If you have green space at home and would like to take part as an individual, please sign up here: Plantlife's No Mow May Movement

Feel free to share your own ‘No Mow May’ moments on Workplace. 

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