When staging one of the largest events in the world, you
could be forgiven for not immediately considering the fate
of the local flora and fauna – but it does matter. How do
you prepare for something as big as London 2012 without
disrupting the local ecology?
The urban
jungle
“Despite appearances, urban sites
can support rich biodiversity. The Olympic
Park is a good example of this,” says Kim
Olliver, Atkins’ senior ecologist. She leads
a team of ecological consultants working
on the site of the future Olympic Park in
the Lower Lea Valley in east London. A mix
of industrial and often contaminated land,
this area has been subject to decades of
neglect. However, as Olliver points out, this
does not mean its ecological importance
should be underestimated.
“In pockets of wetland, woodland
and waterway habitat, a variety of
significant species has been found,” she
says. “This has included rare invertebrates,
Sand Martins and Kingfishers, bats and
fish. It also features native trees such as
the London Plane, which can be up to
70 years old. It’s essential that we
preserve them wherever possible.”
Understanding the importance and
value of even seemingly insignificant things
lies at the heart of efforts to preserve and
protect Britain’s ecology. Each species is
adapted to its surroundings and each
habitat is a web of species interaction.
Upset that equilibrium and species may
be lost, with effects that can cascade
through the ecosystem.
With sustainability a major focus of
the London 2012 Games, environmental
considerations have been fundamental to
the planning process. Before construction
work can start on any project, developers
must complete an environmental impact
assessment, of which ecology is an
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