Wildlife charity Buglife have created three green roofs on the Denton Estate in the London Borough of Camden this week, providing important habitat for our urban pollinators.
The green roofs, sometimes called Living Roofs, have been installed as part of Buglife’s ‘Living Roofs for Camden’s Wildlife’ project, funded by SITA Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund, and delivered in partnership with the London Borough of Camden and LivingRoofs.org.
A total of 600m2 of traditional, wasted roof space has now been transformed into what will soon be a flourishing wildflower-rich grassland providing important pollen and nectar sources for our declining urban pollinators such as bumblebees, moths, butterflies and hoverflies.
The use of a pre-grown wildflower turf will help the meadows to establish quickly and wildflowers such as red clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, meadow buttercup and yarrow will provide food for invertebrates from spring through to autumn. In winter the stems and seed heads of the meadow will provide over-wintering habitat for bugs and an important food resource for birds. The Living Roofs will also provide habitat for a range of bugs such as spiders, beetles and woodlice.
Clare Dinham, Conservation Officer at Buglife said “Many of our important pollinators are in decline due to loss of wildflower-rich habitat. Creating Living Roofs in urban areas is a great way to help bring nature back to our cities and towns, benefitting bugs and people.”
The Living Roofs have been installed to coincide with an eco-makeover of the Denton Estate which will improve the energy efficiency of the buildings for the residents.
Camden Council said “As part of our Green Action for Change to reduce emissions and promote biodiversity in Camden we’re committed to installing green roofs where suitable, as roof replacement for our homes.
Green roofs are very effective at keeping buildings cool during the summer months, and warm during the winter. This helps to improve energy efficiency on our estates, and cut energy costs for residents. They also encourage more biodiversity in the borough by providing a safe habitat for a variety of wildlife.”
