The University of Worcester’s parkland campus has become a focus for learning, research and volunteering involving students, staff and the local community in highlighting the importance of biodiversity on campus and managing it directly. The university has also involved local schools by publishing nature trail leaflets and pond management worksheets. It is supporting after-school projects by recording the positions of flora and fauna.
The Strategic Biodiversity Management Group
March 2009 saw the University of Worcester establish a collaborative group to monitor, archive and enhance the biodiversity of the University’s grounds. More specifically it sought to promote biodiversity through learning, research and voluntary activities for staff, students and the community. Membership of the Strategic Biodiversity Management Group is drawn from both internal (grounds’ staff, academics and students) and external stakeholders including representatives from Worcestershire County Council, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and community volunteers.
The University Grounds Management and Biodiversity Action Plan
– has engaged the local community with biodiversity enhancement as well as providing an effective device for establishing and reviewing targets. The attractive parkland campuses support a range of uses, competing with conservation ecology, sports facilities are needed for teaching and research, and these different uses have different priorities. Acknowledging this, and by collaboration across University departments, these different pressures can be actively managed, ensuring that conservations areas, improved wildlife corridors, sports pitches and manicured lawns for open days, can all thrive.
Biodiversity Initiatives
Wildflower gardens are one project in a long-line of biodiversity initiatives at the University, which has also seen the introduction of bee hives and bee hotels, orchards, pond restoration, allotments and planting schemes for new developments based on local habitat and archaeological dig information. Areas managed for wild flowers support numerous bees, butterflies and other insects, also our garden birds. Wild flower strips can be readily established using commercial seed mixes, but frequently, the seed is from other parts of the UK and occasionally from overseas. Consequently, the plants are not adapted to local conditions, and in addition plant vigour as well as genetic diversity might be compromised. We used green hay as a source of local seed harvested and collected with collaboration from local conservationists. Before the seed is released the hay is spread over an area of disturbed ground. We are therefore creating stepping stones of biodiversity across the city by establishing these new wild flower areas.
Our community
Establishing a diverse management group the university has been able to gather valuable knowledge that has informed the many projects. Both increasing the biodiversity and actively raising awareness of the rich resource available for study, and creating a community involving students, the local community, volunteers and specialist staff who’ve derived enjoyment from engagement with the natural environment. Many publications have resulted, including the association for science review journal (Mansell, 2010) nature trail leaflets and pond management literature, which we hope to adapt to work sheets for use with local schools when visiting campus.
Local biological records
In addition by working with the local biological records centre, enthusiastic Environment and Conservation society students and GIS mapping technicians, a records data base has been established. This shows the position of flora and fauna on campus which links directly to County records. Using simple sampling methods, like pitfall traps, these techniques are being adapted for after school projects.
Promoting Sustainable Development
The university promotes sustainable development and active community engagement. We have an important role in generating and applying knowledge for public benefit. We aim to help all our students, staff and partners make the most of their own rich potential. These projects allow people to learn practical leadership skills, develop surveying knowledge, and enjoy enriched co-curricular learning. It gives students opportunities for the development of citizenship and enables them to help make a real difference for biodiversity on their ‘home patch’. This has created a community involving students, grounds and academic staff, wildlife experts with local knowledge who take pride in their surroundings and has enhanced the green spaces on campus enjoyed by all. The university has expanded its sites and provided new buildings and has restored and created natural habitats. It has created wildlife corridors that link its flora and fauna with other green spaces in the City.
Collaborative working
Biodiversity at the University of Worcester sets a benchmark for collaborative working, engaging research, teaching, grounds management staff and local communities. An innovative student research project between the University and Worcester City Council is currently being planned. The project will investigate the use of wild flower hanging baskets in city centre locations. Such baskets have the potential to provide a more sustainable approach to providing floral displays in urban areas. The value of the baskets for wildlife will be monitored by assessing bees and other insects. A survey of public opinion might also be carried out.
The big question we need to address is how much biodiversity do we need to reverse our impacts? For example, how many bumble bees do we need in our landscapes, how many farmland birds, how much species-rich grassland etc etc. This is a very difficult question to address. First of all, I strongly believe we need to set targets on the University campus, which might include a target for 5% of all grassland areas to be diversified and managed for species-richness, rather than managed as billiard tables. If we get the habitat right, we can then start thinking about numbers…, or should we think about numbers and then start calculating how much habitat we need…
The commitment to overcoming the challenges and increasing biodiversity at the campus is encouraging and sets a good example to students who will hopefully take on these ideals and disperse them as they go on to new environments when they leave.