Case Studies

The Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University has developed management plans for four protected areas and restored habitats and protected species. This led to the institute being trusted to lead on creation of the new Protected Area Network (27 areas) for Palestine. The institution has also led the effort to formulate the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

The Biodiversity Unit hosted a BioBlitz event on May 21st-22nd 2022. A Bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short time, 24 hours. Scientists, students, teachers, families and other community members worked together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity.

Vancouver’s shiny, tall, mirror-like buildings are an attractive and much-photographed sight. So too is the local wildlife, with Vancouver boasting one of the highest densities of wintering birds of any Canadian city. Unfortunately, the combination can turn those beautiful reflective glass windows into bird killers. See how UBC community members are flocking together to bird-proof campus buildings.

“Blühender Campus” (Blooming Campus) is an interdisciplinary initiative started in order to focus more on biodiversity. It unites projects and actors who have the aim to encourage biological diversity on campus. The focus of the work is the upgrading of the green and lawn areas that were mowed up to nine times a year in 2019. The mowing of all areas has been significantly reduced since 2020 (depending on the weather and use only about five times) and pauses across campus during the early flowering phase in April. In a pilot project, some very different, species-rich flowering areas are currently being created on around eight hectares.

The Department of Botany at Providence Women’s College, University of Calicut in Kerala have used innovative ways to communicate an appreciation for nature. Nrityaangan uses Indian classical dance to encourage students to appreciate and express the importance of nature and the explore the UN sustainable development goals on their campus in Kerala, India.

The Government Dungar College in Bikaner, Rajasthan has developed an Institutional forest on six hectares of land on their college campus. This forest has 3000 trees of 100 varieties as well as grasses and herbs native to the Thar desert. It is also rich in avian diversity. Institutional forests are intended to restore previously degraded or abandoned land to a balanced habitat by engaging students and the local community in sustainable forest management practices. There is also a public nursery in the forest that provides quality saplings free of cost to the students and local communities.

As part of its application to be an EcoCampus, ESTeSC have designed a Green Walk to inspire students to explore and discover the variety of native trees present on campus. Each tree has a QR code with information on the tree’s species, history and importance for biodiversity. In addition the Green Walk promotes outdoor learning experiences and overall health and wellbeing of students.

The University of Lincoln’s new Medical Sciences Building was completed in March 2021 and aimed to be biodiversity positive as a build. To achieve this, a 120m2 Living Wall was designed into the building, containing over 5000 plants (of 15 varieties) to provide valuable food for pollinators and birds throughout the year. The external landscaping involved the establishment of wildflower meadows to support pollinators and wildlife.

Hedgehogs are vulnerable to extinction in Britain, due to habitat loss, development, roads and garden hazards. There are now thought to be fewer than one million hedgehogs left. City dwelling hedgehog numbers appear to be recovering after a long period of decline but there is more work to be done. Whether your campus is green or urban, you can help to bring hedgehogs back from the brink.

McGill University’s main campus may be in the centre of Canada’s second largest city, but its students, faculty, and staff still find ways to connect with nature and promote biodiversity through a variety of garden initiatives. In addition to cultivating pollinator gardens on both campuses, McGill is home to the Macdonald Student-Run Ecological Gardens and the Campus Crops initiative, which provide local and sustainable produce for the University and the broader community.