Biodiversity - Cairn Homes

Biodiversity
at Cairn

We are committed to contributing positively to the flora and fauna of any area in which we work, and are developing a holistic environmental strategy that will help us to avoid, mitigate and attempt to reverse the effects we have on wildlife and natural habitats

From natural planning to native planting

Our Approach

From the first planning and design meeting for every site we build on, we carefully analyse the unique landscape features and environmental constraints of each site. This analysis informs the entire design and for all sites we seek out innovative nature-based solutions. The biodiversity initiatives we choose have three important criteria: to be cost effective, to improve the development aesthetically, and to bring ecological benefits that will support urban biodiversity.

The site specific projects are bolstered further by our pollinator-friendly strategies across all Cairn schemes. These include:

Pollinator-friendly mixes of perennials and flowering shrubs in all front gardens
Native tree planting in open spaces and private gardens
Mixed bulb drifts of pollinator-friendly plants
The provision of a packet of pollinator friendly bulbs and information to every homeowner

Connected up thinking

The Pollinator Plan

Since 2018 we have supported the objective of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan and have been accordingly recognised by the Biodiversity Data Centre Ireland as a Pollinator Friendly Business.

One third of our bee species are threatened with extinction from Ireland. This is because we have drastically reduced the amount of food (flowers) and safe nesting sites in our landscapes. The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is about all of us coming together to try to create an Ireland where pollinators can survive and thrive.

innovation

Better ways to Support Biodiversity

In addition to our general pollinator friendly planting, rewilding and hedgerow retention and reinstatement, we constantly seek out way to innovate in this space. From glyphosate-free landscaping pilot projects to art installations that also serve as swift towers and bug hotels, we constantly try to imagine better ways to doing things.

We have successfully implemented Green Wall solutions across our developments as an alternative to more heavily engineered concrete solutions. Green Walls are formed by using steel cages with a canvas lining that is then backfilled with earth from the site while a layer of topsoil mixed with native grasses and wildflowers creates the vegetative cover. Green Walls provide a habitat for species of burrowing insects which will support populations of smaller birds.

A strong backbone

Hedgerow Habitats

Field boundary hedgerows are the ecological backbone of the Irish countryside. They incorporate a wide variety of plants within a small area; mimicking the edge of a woodland with tall trees, lower shrub layer brambles and grassland; in addition to mosses, lichens and fungi.

A well-established hedgerow can support hundreds of species of insect, dozens of species of bird including endangered species such as the Yellowhammer. Mammals such as rabbits, hedgehogs, badgers and bats live and forage along these natural highways. Hedgerows are rich sources of food for animals in Winter, including the berries of Elder, Holly, Hawthorn and Bramble, the nuts of the Hazel, Oak acorns and even the black berries of Ivy.

Life-rich hedgerows; bat boxes incorporated on veteran trees; trunks of felled trees left to support fungi; insect and bug hotels; swift towers - we continue to implement proven - and imagine new - ways to contribute positively to the environment that we all share.