Students at heart of LJMU biodiversity strategy
LJMU is putting students at the heart of a new campus sustainability plan to protect nature and adapt to climate change.
The university’s first ever Biodiversity Delivery Plan aims to enhance our estate’s biodiversity value over the next five years, targeting three key areas: habitat quality, green space provision and climate resilience.
The Plan not only offers benefits to wildlife but our students as well, offering scores of opportunities to conduct species and climate surveys, maintain wildlife installations, plant trees and shrubs and conduct research projects.
“Students can build some real-world skills through teaching, research or volunteering that will boost their CVs,” said Phil Vickerman, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience and the plan’s strategic lead.
Actions to date include the installation of new green walls at Byrom Street, hedgehog housing across campus, pollinator friendly planting at Tithebarn Building, and the planting of native trees across our estate.
Works planned for the upcoming year will have a high impact including the installation of permeable paving areas at Byrom Street, the planting of 420 native tree saplings, the installation of bat and bird boxes and soil improvements near the Education Building, to name but a few.
Professor Vickerman added: “This plan represents a strong and steady commitment to enhance the university estate’s biodiversity value over the next five years; a holistic approach to estate management which considers wildlife, social value and climate resilience.
“We are determined it should not only offer benefits to wildlife but also to our students, and I would call on colleagues to involve students at every opportunity as they build their awareness and skills around sustainability.”
He added that our cross-disciplinary approach was considering not just biodiversity, but carbon, water, air quality and innovative engineering solutions.
Other elements of the plan include:
- a robust surveying strategy that will allow for consistent annual monitoring and research outputs.
- annual targets to increase species richness by +10% by 2030, against a 2025 baseline.
- annual monitoring of bird species, pollinators and bats.
- Measures to improve the climate resilience and pollution reduction through smart design, green infrastructure and sustainable drainage.
A recent survey showed that dozens of species of wildflower and grass were thriving across the LJMU estate.
For further information, please contact the Environmental Sustainability and Energy Team at sustainability@ljmu.ac.uk and refer to the website at Sustainability LJMU.
