Case Study: St Paul's Festival Gardens
Enhancing green spaces in London where all natural pollinators can thrive, and their habitats can be enjoyed by all.
Corporate Pollinator Monitoring at St Paul’s Festival Gardens
How can businesses actively support urban biodiversity?
Pollinating London Together partnered with CMS to deliver a hands-on pollinator monitoring session at St Paul’s Festival Gardens in the City of London. The event brought together corporate volunteers, ecological specialists and conservation advocates to explore how businesses can contribute directly to understanding and supporting pollinator populations in urban environments.
Through practical fieldwork and species identification, participants gained first-hand insight into the diversity of pollinating insects living within the Square Mile.
The Opportunity
Urban biodiversity depends on collaboration between communities, businesses and conservation organisations.
Corporate organisations increasingly recognise their role in supporting sustainability and environmental stewardship. However, many employees have limited opportunities to engage directly with nature in the urban environments where they work.
Pollinator monitoring events offer a practical way to:
- connect businesses with local biodiversity initiatives
- increase awareness of urban ecosystems
- provide meaningful employee engagement opportunities
- generate useful ecological observations
This event aimed to demonstrate how corporate participation can support both education and biodiversity monitoring.
The Location: St Paul’s Festival Gardens
St Paul’s Festival Gardens is an important green space within the Square Mile.
The site has been designed with pollinator-friendly planting, providing habitat and food sources for a wide range of insects. Key habitat features include:
- native wildflower planting
- flowering shrubs
- grassland areas
- diverse nectar sources
- throughout the growing season
Green spaces such as Festival Gardens play a critical role in sustaining pollinator populations within dense urban landscapes.
The Approach
The monitoring session was led by pollinator specialists:
- Dr Heather Barrett-Mold
- Dr Konstantinos Tsiolis
Participants were introduced to the principles of ecological monitoring and took part in structured pollinator netting and identification.
Activities included:
- targeted sweep netting of flowering plants
- species identification using field guides
- discussion of pollinator monitoring techniques
- learning about pollinator ecology and diversity
Participants also learned that more than 250 species of bee exist in the UK, each with different ecological roles and habitat needs.
Captured insects were carefully identified and then safely released.
Pollinators Observed
During the monitoring session, participants learned to recognise several key groups of pollinating insects, including:
- bumblebees
- solitary bees
- hoverflies
- other nectar-feeding insects
These species play an essential role in pollinating both wild plants and food crops, making their presence in urban environments particularly valuable.
Impact
The event demonstrated how corporate engagement can support both biodiversity awareness and practical conservation.
- Participants reported a stronger understanding of:
- the diversity of urban pollinators
- the importance of pollinator-friendly planting
- how urban green spaces support wildlife
- actions individuals and organisations can take to support biodiversity
Several attendees expressed interest in applying pollinator-friendly planting principles within their workplace environments and home gardens.
Collaboration
The event brought together expertise from conservation, science and the corporate sector.
Partners included:
- Pollinating London Together
- CMS
- Pollinator specialists and ecological researchers
This collaboration highlights how urban biodiversity initiatives benefit from partnerships across sectors.
Project Snapshot
Location: St Paul’s Festival Gardens, City of London
Partner Organisation: CMS
Activity: Corporate pollinator monitoring session
Participants: Corporate volunteers and pollinator specialists
Method: Pollinator netting and species identification
Key Outcomes
- Corporate engagement in biodiversity monitoring
- Increased awareness of urban pollinator diversity
- Hands-on ecological learning experience
- Support for long-term urban biodiversity initiatives
Why Corporate Engagement Matters
Businesses play an important role in shaping the future of urban environments.
By participating in initiatives like this, organisations can:
- support biodiversity monitoring
- increase environmental awareness among staff
- strengthen sustainability commitments
- contribute to healthier urban ecosystems
Events such as this demonstrate how corporate engagement can help scale urban biodiversity action across the City of London.
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