Biodiversity matters. It is the foundation of all life, including the basis and source of all human life and civilization.

To counter the effects of biodiversity loss, including the losses caused by a changing climate, we need to conserve and restore habitats, not just in the countryside but in the cities too. And not just in parks and other green spaces but also in the built environment, including the buildings themselves. The IHDC aims to focus attention on this important - often overlooked - issue.

The Integrated Habitats Design Competition aims to inspire creative, interdisciplinary designs for built environment developments that maintain the health of the natural systems that we all depend on.

"Human needs and a healthy environment are not opposing claims that must be balanced; instead, they are inexorably linked by chains of cause and effect." Jared Diamond

Biodiversity needs to be integral to the design of new urban, suburban and rural built developments.

The IHDC provides a forum for visionaries and innovators to design better, more sustainable habitats for all of us.

This competition is open to all, and the judging board hope to see design approaches that cut across the ecology, engineering, architecture, landscape, construction and planning sectors.

IHDC 2011
Instigators, judges and sponsors talk about the design competition that prioritises biodiversity for ecosystem service benefits for all.

Filming and editing: Frances Bowen
Producer: Amber Parsons, RESET