Protecting andfostering biodiversity

GIZ has launched a host of activities to preserve local biodiversity at its locations in Germany.

Many steps have been taken to protect biodiversity at Campus Kottenforst.

GIZ’s Campus Kottenforst in Bonn is humming with life. Insects have made their homes in the site’s wildflower meadows. They can be seen buzzing around the fruit trees and crawling around the insect hotels and through the piles of deadwood, which also provide a refuge for hedgehogs and other small mammals. During the day, native birds like robins and tits flit through the trees and fly in and out of nesting boxes. At night, bats emerge from their nesting boxes in the Campus grounds and take over the skies.

Campus Kottenforst is right on the edge of the forest that gives it its name. Since protecting and fostering biodiversity is one of GIZ’s key goals, the company has instigated numerous activities in the Campus grounds to ensure that a natural habitat is available for indigenous flora and fauna, thus helping to conserve both species and biotopes. In this way, GIZ ensures that the wildlife from the neighbouring forest feels every bit at home on Campus as GIZ staff and visitors attending the many events there.

Every bit of ground counts

The Bonn base is only one example of GIZ’s efforts to foster greater biodiversity. We are implementing various measures at all of our locations in Germany. Many GIZ buildings, whether they are rented or owned by the company, lie in urban areas and have little surrounding land. Nevertheless, we have many different ways of encouraging biodiversity locally, including green roofs and insect-friendly plants.

We devised a score card system in 2022 to enable us to see precisely how we are doing at the various locations. It looks at measures we take to encourage biodiversity using simple indicators in the areas of both implementation and management. The score card for GIZ’s Eschborn offices indicates that 170 trees of 25 different species already provide for a high level of species diversity.

In 2022 we also devised strategies to increase biodiversity even more for all EMAS locations in Germany (EMAS Environmental Statement 2023, p. 12(german only)). They include installing nesting boxes and insect hotels in courtyards and in the grounds surrounding our offices. Outside Germany, we focus mainly on awareness measures to make our offices more environmentally friendly. Staff at some offices have created community gardens.

Photo: Food scraps are composted at the Tashkent community garden. — © GIZ / Aziza Ataeva

Working together to fostering biodiversity

GIZ has been part of the cross-sectoral Biodiversity in Good Company initiative since it was founded in 2008. Companies from numerous industries have joined the initiative to work together to protect biodiversity. In this way, GIZ supports the international Convention on Biological Diversity.

Below you will find information about the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) sustainability standards:

Material topic 6: Biodiversity

GRI			UNGC	SDG	DNK
3-3	Management approach	Foundation Protecting and promoting biodiversity is a core objective in many projects with our partner countries. Measures to mitigate climate change also help to conserve biodiversity. GIZ does its bit for species protection at its own locations in Germany and abroad too. Objectives: Enhancing biodiversity worldwide and raising awareness and sharing knowledge among staff is one of the goals set out in GIZ’s Sustainability Programme. GIZ has undertaken to develop and implement biodiversity strategies at our own properties in Germany and abroad by 2025. GIZ intends to explore similar options for the premises it leases. Voluntary commitment: GIZ intends to lead by example. The company has been part of the cross-sectoral Biodiversity in Good Company initiative since its inception in 2008. Companies from numerous industries have joined the initiative to work together to protect biodiversity and use it sustainably worldwide. In this way, GIZ supports the international Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity also plays a role in connection with sustainable procurement. More information on sustainable procurement can be found here: Material topic 3: Sustainable procurement Measures GIZ takes various measures to promote biodiversity at its locations in Germany. The buildings are mostly located at relatively small sites in cities, but nevertheless offer a wide range of opportunities to promote biodiversity in inner cities and to help connect habitats. We do this by grassing the roofs and including as many local insect-friendly plant species as possible in the outdoor areas. GIZ also wants to ensure that as little of the area as possible is sealed, e.g. by using gravel turf or green roofs. In order to measure biodiversity in Germany, GIZ joined forces with the Global Nature Fund in 2022 to develop a tool to assess the biodiversity of the different locations. This so-called score card examines measures designed to promote biodiversity by means of simple indicators in the two dimensions of implementation and management. It takes into account the different local starting conditions, such as the degree of sealing, issues related to the operator’s responsibility or simply the number of existing trees. The conceptual framework for the future Eschborn Campus was energetically driven forward in 2022. Breeding and nesting spaces for a range of animals including insects and birds are being created in the green areas and inner courtyards, which will further enhance the ecological value of the campus and promote biodiversity. Progress made The surveys conducted in Germany to draw up the score cards showed that some locations already have a considerable number of biodiversity-friendly spaces. In Eschborn, for instance, about 170 trees were counted, comprising 25 different and highly diverse species. Many of these trees also have a particularly high biodiversity index, such as wild cherries, apple trees and Caucasian limes. A large proportion of the roofs have been greened at the Bonn Campus. There is also a maintenance plan for the near-natural grounds, which includes less frequent mowing of flowering meadows. The outdoor spaces at the training centres are also designed with an eye to promoting biodiversity. The Kottenforst Campus also has a large number of trees. The grounds contain many structural elements such as nesting places for birds and bats, an insect hotel and deadwood piles. Features at the Feldafing training centre, which borders on the forest, include a wetland biotope with indigenous fauna and near-natural shore zones. Specific improvement measures have been defined for all locations. Since biodiversity is not systematically recorded in the Corporate Sustainability Handprint® (CSH), there is no systematic documentation of measures in countries outside Germany. Further information: Protecting and fostering biodiversity

GRI

UNGC

SDG

DNK

3-3

Management approach

Foundation

Protecting and promoting biodiversity is a core objective in many projects with our partner countries. Measures to mitigate climate change also help to conserve biodiversity. GIZ does its bit for species protection at its own locations in Germany and abroad too.
Objectives: Enhancing biodiversity worldwide and raising awareness and sharing knowledge among staff is one of the goals set out in GIZ’s Sustainability Programme. GIZ has undertaken to develop and implement biodiversity strategies at our own properties in Germany and abroad by 2025. GIZ intends to explore similar options for the premises it leases.
Voluntary commitment: GIZ intends to lead by example. The company has been part of the cross-sectoral Biodiversity in Good Company initiative since its inception in 2008. Companies from numerous industries have joined the initiative to work together to protect biodiversity and use it sustainably worldwide. In this way, GIZ supports the international Convention on Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity also plays a role in connection with sustainable procurement. More information on sustainable procurement can be found here: Material topic 3: Sustainable procurement

Measures

GIZ takes various measures to promote biodiversity at its locations in Germany. The buildings are mostly located at relatively small sites in cities, but nevertheless offer a wide range of opportunities to promote biodiversity in inner cities and to help connect habitats. We do this by grassing the roofs and including as many local insect-friendly plant species as possible in the outdoor areas. GIZ also wants to ensure that as little of the area as possible is sealed, e.g. by using gravel turf or green roofs.
In order to measure biodiversity in Germany, GIZ joined forces with the Global Nature Fund in 2022 to develop a tool to assess the biodiversity of the different locations. This so-called score card examines measures designed to promote biodiversity by means of simple indicators in the two dimensions of implementation and management. It takes into account the different local starting conditions, such as the degree of sealing, issues related to the operator’s responsibility or simply the number of existing trees.
The conceptual framework for the future Eschborn Campus was energetically driven forward in 2022. Breeding and nesting spaces for a range of animals including insects and birds are being created in the green areas and inner courtyards, which will further enhance the ecological value of the campus and promote biodiversity.

Progress made

The surveys conducted in Germany to draw up the score cards showed that some locations already have a considerable number of biodiversity-friendly spaces. In Eschborn, for instance, about 170 trees were counted, comprising 25 different and highly diverse species. Many of these trees also have a particularly high biodiversity index, such as wild cherries, apple trees and Caucasian limes. A large proportion of the roofs have been greened at the Bonn Campus. There is also a maintenance plan for the near-natural grounds, which includes less frequent mowing of flowering meadows. The outdoor spaces at the training centres are also designed with an eye to promoting biodiversity. The Kottenforst Campus also has a large number of trees. The grounds contain many structural elements such as nesting places for birds and bats, an insect hotel and deadwood piles. Features at the Feldafing training centre, which borders on the forest, include a wetland biotope with indigenous fauna and near-natural shore zones. Specific improvement measures have been defined for all locations.
Since biodiversity is not systematically recorded in the Corporate Sustainability Handprint® (CSH), there is no systematic documentation of measures in countries outside Germany.

Further information:
Protecting and fostering biodiversity

GRI			UNGC	SDG	DNK
304-1	Operational sites owned, leased, managed in, or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas	Kottenforst Campus in Bonn-Röttgen: The four buildings that are home to the Academy for International Cooperation (AIZ) border on Kottenforst Forest, which is part of the Rhineland Nature Park. Much of it is a protected area (Special Area of Conservation under the Habitats Directive). GIZ is helping to preserve traditional varieties of fruit trees indigenous to the area, for instance, as well as providing nesting places for birds, bats and insects, and cultivating wildflower meadows.	7, 8, 9	11, 12, 13, 15	11, 12
304-2	Significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity	Protecting and promoting biodiversity is a core objective in many projects with our partner countries.	7, 8, 9	11, 12, 13, 15	11, 12

Every bit of ground counts

Working together to fostering biodiversity

Below you will find information about the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) sustainability standards:

Material topic 6: Biodiversity

GIZ uses tracking technologies from various providers