Animal-Aided Design

About this good practice

By project Blue Green City

Published on 19 January 2022

Germany

Oberbayern

Animal-Aided Design (AAD) is a methodology for the design of open spaces which combine landscape architecture (aiming on humans) and nature conservation (aiming on biodiversity). The basic idea of AAD is to include the presence of wild animals in the planning process, such that they are an integral part of the design.
The first step is the selection of target species together by involving stakeholders, taking into consideration the regional species pool, spatially-specific species occurrence and local species potential. After choosing two or three target species, the needs of the species in their whole life-cycle have to be analysed. This requires knowledge about food sources, breeding places, shelter etc. needed at all different stages oft he life of the target species. This knowledge is used to develop ecological guidelines for landscape architects to integrate the animal needs in the planning and implementation process. The success of the measures is checked by monitoring, ideally with the help of citizen science.

Resources needed

The method requires biological and ecological expertise, which is additionally incorporated into the planning and therefore increases the planning costs.

Evidence of success

The Animal-Aid Design method has been successfully tested in several pilot projects at different planning levels. In Ingolstadt, Berlin and Munich, for example, the open spaces of residential neighbourhoods were over-planned and redesigned to be wildlife-friendly. In Ingolstadt, AAD was also tested on a large scale for the Donau City Park Ingolstadt in 2017. As a result of the application of AAD, wildlife could be preserved in heavily used recreational areas.

Potential for learning or transfer

The concrete design of green infrastructure is a challenge in all European regions and requires consideration of local and regional conditions. The Animal-Aided Design tool is flexible and can be used in any biogeographical region of Europe, provided that the commissioned planners have the local biological and ecological knowledge.