Grooves
a study to assess the environmental benefits of green roofing
Adivet (the French association of greenroofs and greenfacades) was one of the partners of the ARB (Regional Biodiversity Agency) of Ile-de-France which carried out a three-year study on 36 greenroofs. The study, called Grooves (for Green ROOfs Verified Ecosystem Services), ran from 2017 to 2019. The roofs concerned had varied typologies (extensive, semi-intensive, intensive and wildroof) and were spread over the dense urban territory of Paris and its region. The study was based on inventories of plants and invertebrates (including pollinators), and substrate samples to study micro-organisms.
The different axes of the study made it possible to show the ecological role of these new urban ecosystems, particularly in terms of floristic diversity – with 70% of native species -, faunistic and micro-organisms.
These results made it possible to evoke recommendations to promote the reception of biodiversity in roofs. They will be the subject of a detailed report in the coming months.
photo: School of Sciences and Biodiversity Boulogne (C) M.Muratet