Growing For Change Sessions: Measure biodiversity in your growing space

Biodiversity describes the variety of life in a particular setting. In this case, we will be exploring and measuring the biodiversity in participatory urban gardens.

Join the first of a two-part session focused on biodiversity in urban spaces. Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you'll find in one area - the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world! Come learn from Ellen, Energy Garden’s Biodiversity Lead about how this organisation has put together a habitat-based method using Natural England’s Biodiversity Metric 4.0 (Small Sites Version) and a species-based plant survey. All relevant training will be delivered during the session you can work through a biodiversity survey together at Energy Garden's Brondesbury Park station garden.

No previous experience is required.

To help with plant species identification, it is recommended you download iNaturalist and Seek by iNaturalist ahead of the session.

Here are some helpful links:

• iNaturalist FAQs  
• Seek User Guide

Join the second part of this session on Saturday 4 November to get the most from this training.

Trainer bio

Ellen Bidulka is the Biodiversity Lead at Energy Garden, a community benefit society that delivers solar projects, community gardens and educational programmes in London. Ellen’s primary focus at Energy Garden has been developing a participatory method of quantifying the biodiversity changes occurring in the gardens.  This was first done last summer as part of Ellen’s thesis project for Imperial College London’s MSc Environmental Technology programme in collaboration with Energy Garden.  The methodology has been further refined for the summer 2023 survey season. Prior to her time in London, Ellen completed a BSc at McGill University in biology with a specialisation in biodiversity and systematics. She spent a summer living at McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve as a research intern completing fieldwork and trail maintenance projects.

Growing For Change

Join our Growing For Change sessions this autumn. Capital Growth’s, Growing For Change campaign supports London's urban food gardens in building community, climate and nature resilience. These sessions highlight the gardeners and growing spaces who do great work on key Growing For Change themes such as, biodiversity, soil health, efficient water use, gardening planning and protection.

To find out more download our handbook to support your urban growing space and join Capital Growth member spaces in making the Growing For Change Pledge. Not a member of Capital Growth? Join the network for free in minutes and make the most of our member perks (including 50% off all our training tickets!)