Worldwide, biodiversity is declining. And before you think, “Yeah, yeah, we know,” we’d like to immediately share the good news: we are going to do something about it. Yes, you read that right: we at Blooming Buildings are going to ensure that biodiversity increases again. From Amsterdam to Zwolle. And then the whole world will follow. How? We’ll tell you in a moment. First, we need to talk about the problems briefly. We’ll get to the solution shortly.

Why is biodiversity so important?

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. The more types of trees, plants, fungi, insects, birds, mammals, fish (or whatever organisms) that live in a place, the greater the biodiversity. And the greater the biodiversity, the better off the planet is. Because the greater the biodiversity, the healthier the ecosystem. If biodiversity decreases, the resilience of our planet also decreases. Ecosystems are less able to withstand the effects of climate change, such as heavy rainstorms and drought. This results in flooding and heat stress.

Biodiversity is therefore crucial for the well-being of our planet and all organisms living on it. This applies at the macro level, but also at the micro level. Just take your own garden. If biodiversity is lacking, there will be fewer bees, butterflies, and insects. And therefore fewer birds. And fewer hedgehogs, toads, and bats. Some organisms become dominant and take over. You get more weeds and more pests.

What applies to your garden, applies to the whole world. In 2019, scientists warned that about 1 million animal species (out of an estimated total of 8 million) are on the verge of extinction. It may take a while before humans are extinct, but still, we notice it too: the planet is becoming increasingly less livable.

Why is biodiversity decreasing?

A biodiverse ecosystem is better able to withstand climate change, provides cleaner air, and helps us humans relax better. Unfortunately, biodiversity is lacking worldwide. This is largely because more and more people are living on Earth. And all those people want somewhere to live, want to drink coffee, want to eat hamburgers, and want to move from A to B. To make that happen, forests need to be cut down and cities and barns built.

Additionally, climate change is causing ecosystems to become unbalanced, causing animal and plant species to disappear. This has a self-reinforcing effect, causing even more to disappear and biodiversity to decline even further.

More and more companies and governments are aware of this and are taking measures to protect nature reserves and minimize their own CO2 emissions. At Blooming Buildings, however, we see another possibility to stimulate global biodiversity: by bringing nature back to the city.

(text continues under the photos of the park created for the Municipality, location Weesperstraat)

Long live urban biodiversity

More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and in the coming years, that number will only increase. Many people think that where there are cities, there can be no nature, and therefore biodiversity leaves much to be desired. By definition.

You might think so, but it’s not true. Okay, where a tall building stands, an ancient forest cannot grow. But on that building, around that building, against that building, and in that building, nature can indeed flourish by bringing nature back to the city.

You just have to do it right. Use many different species so that the plant biodiversity is immediately good. Choose good soil so that different organisms have space and provide the right nutrients. Create a careful balance of plants, shrubs, and trees that belong there, so everything is in and stays in balance. And maintain it well to ensure biodiversity and the health of the ecosystem.

In all the projects we do, we notice within a day that biodiversity increases. Insects and butterflies return. And as a result, we soon see more birds. And we know that there will also be more small mammals.

Bring biodiversity back to the city and everything will grow

By greening buildings in the right way, you ensure that biodiversity grows. But you set much more in motion. The attraction for people also increases. Our primal brain has a need for nature. Green makes us happier than gray. We can relax better. And we can breathe better because nature filters dirty air and turns it into oxygen.

But it doesn’t stop there. Because people can literally breathe again, social interaction will increase. And when social interaction increases, it’s also good for the local economy. When it’s hot, you suffer less from heat islands. A green environment is good for SMEs, for the productivity of your employees, for property values, and for reducing vacancies. In other words, more biodiversity also brings many financial benefits.

Blooming Buildings as a catalyst for urban biodiversity

At Blooming Buildings, we are working in many Dutch cities to bring back nature or maintain it. We have projects in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Zwolle, Nijmegen, Maastricht, and Almere, among others. Naturally, we hope to tackle many more urban areas in the Benelux. By providing new and existing buildings with Good Green, we bring nature back to the city and promote local biodiversity.

But our ambitions go further. We want to be a global catalyst for urban biodiversity. To create a green wave so that gray stones are replaced by green nature worldwide and we can restore balance in a rapidly urbanizing world. This is of utmost necessity because the current path is not sustainable. But if we all put our shoulders to the wheel and seriously work on urban greening, everything will be fine.

Feel free to contact us, we are happy to tell you much more. You can call us (020 261 81 71) or email us (info@bloomingbuildings.nl). And you are always welcome for a cup of coffee or tea at Bloemgracht.