Building with Nature: Why BAM’s partnership with the Eden Project marks a step change for construction

When I think back to my childhood, some of my happiest memories are of wandering through the countryside, surrounded by butterflies and ladybirds, completely fascinated by the life all around me. Sadly, we don’t see as many of them now - a reminder of how deeply our actions as a society affect the natural world and why protecting it matters so much.
 

Since the 1970s, global wildlife populations have declined by 73%. In the UK alone, one in six species is now at risk of extinction*. The construction industry has undeniably played a part in this — but we are also uniquely placed to reverse it. Few sectors shape the natural environment as directly as construction, and few have as much potential to restore it.

While our industry has shown an emerging ambition to reverse nature loss, practical action has been harder to achieve. Nature positive construction requires more than good intentions; it needs clear frameworks, committed partners, informed clients and a workforce empowered to deliver real change on the ground.

That’s why BAM has partnered with the Eden Project to turn ambition into measurable action. Together, we’re launching a three-year programme built around three simple but powerful principles: Educate, Act, and Influence. This model is designed to embed biodiversity and nature-positive thinking into every stage of construction, from concept to completion.

Embedding nature in construction can not be a token gesture or a design flourish. It needs to be about changing systems, rethinking projects right from the start, so that every project leaves a positive ecological legacy.

If we want a nature-positive built environment, we must start with people: teaching, inspiring, and equipping them to build differently. This partnership provides the blueprint for doing just that.
Construction has always shaped the landscape. Now it’s time for it to help restore it - more jungle, less concrete.

*State of Nature Report 2023