Biodiversity Baseline Assessments.

HOUSING PROVIDER (NATIONAL)

As part of Clarion Housing Association’s Nature Recovery Strategy, The Green Partnership continues to deliver a rolling programme of biodiversity baseline assessments across estates throughout the UK.

These assessments are providing the foundation for investment in new and improved landscapes, ensuring that Clarion’s green spaces deliver meaningful benefits for both residents and wildlife.

We carried out detailed on-site surveys and desk-based research to establish a clear biodiversity baseline for each estate. Using the DEFRA Statutory Biodiversity Metric alongside local and regional priorities, we identified the existing value of habitats and highlighted opportunities for improvement.

This process not only recorded the ecological condition of the estates but also considered how landscape changes could be designed to provide safe, attractive, and climate-resilient spaces for the people who live there.

The assessments revealed that many Clarion estates already meet or exceed the Nature Recovery Strategy’s baseline target for biodiversity. Building on these strengths, we identified opportunities to create and enhance habitats at scale.

These included the potential for:

• New woodlands and orchards.
• Wildflower meadows and species-rich lawns 
• Native hedgerows and climate-resilient planting.
• Redesigned communal green spaces that work for both people and nature.
   

Together, these improvements represent targeted investment in Clarion’s estates—transforming everyday green spaces into multifunctional landscapes that deliver ecological, social, and climate benefits.

Each baseline assessment concludes with a tailored set of recommendations to guide Clarion’s future investment. 

Through this rolling programme, Clarion is building a strong evidence base for change. By investing in landscapes and habitats across its estates, the organisation is turning its Nature Recovery Strategy into action—creating healthier, greener places that support residents and help nature to thrive.