Students embark on biodiversity adventure during recent Living Labs campus walk
Students discovered the beauty and importance of our campus biodiversity on a recent Living Labs campus walk.
A team of volunteers from the Biodiversity Living Labs committee recently organised an event to promote the Biodiversity Living Labs project on campus. This project, led by Environmental Sustainability at York (ESAY), aims to raise awareness about biodiversity and promote environmental sustainability. As part of this initiative, 15 students attended a social walking event on April 19 to explore the wildlife on campus and share their ideas for improving biodiversity.
Led by Gordon Eastham, the Grounds & Ecology Manager at the University, the students were taken on a tour of the campus. Along the way, they were shown various interesting findings such as wildflower meadows containing cowslip and wild primrose, swan mussels near Derwent K Block, and clusters of orchid plants to help with naturalizing the campus. The tour also included log piles to help hedgehogs and other small animals.
The event was a great opportunity for the students to take a break from their studies and appreciate the natural beauty of the campus. It also gave them the chance to share their thoughts and ideas on how to promote biodiversity on campus.
Gordon Eastham stressed the importance of the event and the Biodiversity Living Labs project in promoting environmental sustainability. He said,
"It is important to demonstrate the value of the university campus in terms of biodiversity because the natural world is so important to us in the context of the eco services it provides, not least in terms of our own wellbeing. We need to appreciate that we share the campus with many other forms of flora and fauna. Knowing they are there and how important they are will help to protect them in the future."
We encourage all students to get involved and submit their ideas for improving biodiversity on campus. Those who are interested can email esay@york.ac.uk or complete the form on the Student Sustainability Opportunities Hub to learn about future activities and contribute their ideas. The event was a great success, and the Living Lab Biodiversity committee hopes to organise more such events in the future to promote environmental sustainability and biodiversity on campus.