The 'urban jungle' of Greater London may be famous for its built environment but it also includes substantial areas of habitat that benefit wildlife and people.  From swathes of grassland and woodland in parks and nature reserves to tiny mosaics of vegetation on derelict land, London is a complex patchwork of different habitats.

Our newest habitat dataset is London BAP habitat suitability mapping.  This information about the condition and suitability to create or restore particular habitats of interest is now integral within the GiGL habitat database.

The work behind this mapping identified areas which if used to create one or more of the nine selected BAP priority habitats would give the best benefit to biodiversity in London.

Regional dot maps and overview areas are available to download on the following pages. GiGL partners can see full site information in their data exchange.

>Find out more about BAP habitat suitability

Why survey?

Recording and mapping what habitats are present on open spaces aids management work and, in turn, conservation.  

Better knowledge about habitats helps us to understand why green spaces are important in the urban setting and improves the context for urban development decisions.

London surveys

The most comprehensive surveys to date of London's habitats were commissioned by the Greater London Authority and were undertaken borough-by-borough throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s.  GiGL holds the full GLA data set of habitat survey information - to find out more click the picture.

Extending the data

The baseline of information from these surveys has enabled further habitat information to be modeled for specific uses.  With London Biodiversity Partnership GiGL have built on the GLA survey data combining it with existing species data and expert local knowledge to derive a new dataset informing users about specific habitats of conservation interest to inform maintenance and improvement work.  See more about the Habitat Suitability Mapping.

The future

The GLA surveys are no longer running, however there is still survey work ongoing in the capital commissioned by individual boroughs or site managers.  GiGL are able to store and capture this information and are looking to develop a more integrated, updatable dataset for the future.