1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
By planting relatively small-sized patches of caterpillar food plants on the roofs of mainly office buildings, the aim of the project is to enhance green roofs in order to increase their value for biodiversity, and for native butterflies in particular. In addition, it is a way of showing people how the urban landscape can be enhanced to benefit biodiversity even on a small scale. The initiators hope to demonstrate through this project that it is important to think not just about the quantity, but also the quality of urban green spaces. [ref 1, 2]
Quantitative targets
unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
The RGBE followed up with a training for building users interested in how to recognize and record the butterflies that visit their roofs. This has as a co-benefit that awareness is created of the existence and potential of green roofs, a building feature not usually seen from the street, while records can also be used for monitoring purposes. [re 1]
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
Three types of butterflies have been chosen as specific target species: Northern Brown Argus butterfly, small copper butterfly, and common blue butterfly. In talks with the Butterfly Conservation Trust, the idea was hatched to conceptualize the project as literal ‘square metres’ of vegetation. Several sites were visited of known public and private buildings with green roofs in the vicinity of Arthur’s Seat to see if and how these roofs could be enhanced. The general goal of the initiative is to persuade and encourage people to commit to a square metre for butterflies, for which the RBGE then provides the plants. After agreeing with the proposal for a square metre, building users are involved in the creation of the square metres wherever possible, although larger organizations generally have landscape contractors who manage their green roofs. At present, 10 roofs have been fitted with square metres providing food plants for the selected butterflies’ caterpillars. [ref 1, 2]
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
The project can be perceived of as an incremental innovation, adding on to and enhancing green roof technologies. The project operates on a small budget without dedicated project funding, and can therefore be thought of as an experiment; the aspects that work will be developed further, while it is easier to discard aspects that do not work given the low cost. An innovative aspect of the project is its focus on enhancing pre-existing green roofs, in the hope of raising the bar of what is considered a sustainable building as not all green roofs are equally beneficial for biodiversity. One ambition of this project is to engage the development community in thinking about what they can do to improve the quality of the urban and natural environment with green roofs, to what extent buildings can connect better to their local environmental context. [1]
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
The idea has not been replicated or drawn inspiration from examples elsewhere. Given its unique character, it has been promoted by biodiversity officers at various local authorities, who are active in the Scottish Local Biodiversity Officers Partnership, along with other greening projects. To replicate the project elsewhere, it would ideally also be focused on an iconic native (butterfly) species. This could be a challenge as the Northern Brown Argus lives at heights and roofs are therefore a good place to plant vegetation for them. Elsewhere this could be different for iconic local species. Working together with local ecologists is therefore important in scaling up the project. [1]
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
The idea has not been replicated or drawn inspiration from examples elsewhere. The project is transferable, if local butterfly species and their habitat preferences (e.g. building height) are taken into account. For this project, the particular butterfly species and its habitat around Edinburgh’s Arthur’s Seat hill were essential ingredients. In addition, a ‘champion’ of the project with a good local network and specialised (ecological) knowledge seems crucial, in this case the RBGE in collaboration with the Butterfly Conservation have taken up that role. The project has not been copied from or been replicated elsewhere so far. [2]
