Fidelity International HQ – Biodiversity Benchmark Assessment
T he Surrey headquarters of Fidelity International demonstrates how nature-positive land management can create spaces where nature, work and recreation thrive side by side. Following Elizabeth’s assessment of the site under the Biodiversity Benchmark standards, we're delighted to share that the organisation has successfully retained its Biodiversity Benchmark accreditation for another year at its Kingswood Fields site near Tadworth, Surrey. More than just the grounds of an office, the site is a diverse landscape of gardens, woodland and veteran trees, carefully managed to support wildlife while providing an inspiring environment for employees.
Even within formally landscaped areas, plant selections have been made with pollinators in mind, using single-flowering varieties that provide accessible nectar and pollen sources. What particularly stood out to the Benchmark assessors was the strength of collaboration behind the site's success. What particularly stood out to the Benchmark assessors was the strength of collaboration behind the site's success.
Fidelity provides strategic oversight, JW Biodiversity Management leads ecological surveys and planning, and Nurture Group delivers habitat management on the ground. Together, they have created a coordinated approach that is delivering tangible benefits for biodiversity. The site also shows how nature recovery can support people. Staff are encouraged to enjoy and engage with the grounds, with a dedicated wildlife group helping employees build biodiversity knowledge, develop practical conservation skills and strengthen their connection with nature. Monitoring has revealed a remarkable diversity of wildlife, including badgers, foxes and roe deer captured on camera traps. Surveys have also recorded all three pipistrelle bat species, alongside serotine, noctule, Leisler's and brown long-eared bats, while fungal DNA analysis identified an impressive 118 species.
