In this our 10th edition of the GiGLer, we take a quick look at how things have changed over the five years of the GiGLer’s existence.
In the early summer of 2006, we had just launched as an open space and biodiversity records centre after our two-year development phase and had four staff. Five years on and we’re a fully fledged environmental records centre with seven members of staff: a director, Project and Data Development Manager, …
The All London Green Grid (ALGG) is a strategic project which provides a framework for the creation, enhancement and management of multifunctional green and open spaces across the whole of Greater London. GiGL is working with the project’s leaders, Design for London, to provide the evidence behind this important initiative.
The ALGG has eight key objectives, including: improving access to open space and nature, managing flood risk, enhancing connections between distinctive destin […]
London is arguably one of the world’s most verdant big cities. A significant part of our green space is managed by ordinary Londoners – the humble gardeners.
Gardens cover nearly a quarter of London, yet we know little about what’s in them or how this is changing. Over the period of a year GiGL worked in partnership with London Wildlife Trust and the Greater London Authority to fully document London’s garden cover […]
With more than one billion passenger journeys every year, the London Underground is an essential part of the daily lives of those who live and work in the capital. It sometimes provides the only “green” people see in London’s highly urbanised environment, and provides easy access to greenspace in areas of deficiency.
Most of the London Underground is over ground; stretching from Buckinghamshire’s Chiltern Hills in in the west to Essex’s Epping Forest in in the east. London Underground’s land acts […]
Providing ecological data to private and public sector organisations is one of the core functions of any local records centre. April 2011 saw the launch of GiGL’s new data search service. Our data search system and the content of our reports has been significantly...
Technological advances have not only made it possible to share, manage and put biodiversity data to use in meeting national or local needs, they also facilitate record making thanks to GPS, digital cameras and smart phone apps. And, by offering new ways to attract, involve and support individuals and communities in recording activities, technology simplifes the coordination of surveys and recording effort. But the effectiveness of recording still depends largely on the activities, skills and enthusiasm of […]
Held in London’s Excel centre, Ecobuild is the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, bringing together the latest ideas and innovations for the future of sustainable building. The exhibition ran for three days and attracted thousands of people from a wide array of industries and interest groups.
The successful integration of biodiversity, and an understanding of the services that ecosystems can provide, will be crucial to a healthy built environment. In recognition of […]
CLARE is an exciting new partnership project between Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, the London Wildlife Trust, GiGL and London’s Amphibian and Reptile Group. With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund the project aims to raise awareness and understanding of...
A new Froglife project to provide GiGL with much-needed information on amphibian and reptile populations in London, and to raise the profile of these important species has received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The five-year project is called Dragon Finder...
The London Assembly’s Environment Committee released ‘Branching Out – The future of London’s Trees’ in April. Describing the importance of street trees to London’s environment, the report looks at a number of issues surrounding them, including the value placed on them...