Biodiversity

Bug hotel at Queens buildingThe‌ University is working hard to improve our outdoor spaces in Bristol and North Somerset for everyone—students, staff, and visitors. We own diverse areas, like sports fields (over 16 hectares), gardens and grounds (76 hectares), a botanic garden (1.3 hectares), and agricultural land (252 hectares). These spaces are important for our well-being, research, and for supporting biodiversity.‌

To care for these areas, we create detailed maps to strict standards set out by Natural England and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) so we can protect plants and animals. Our goal is to keep our environment healthy and meet the needs of our University and the local community.

Since 2015, our Gardens and Grounds team has been surveying birds, insects, and mammals across all our main sites in Bristol. We use these surveys to track different animals and work on projects to help species facing challenges. That's why we're excited about Biodiversity Net Gain. Working together with our friends in Bristol and North Somerset Council it is a way to make our University habitats even better.

Biodiversity is like nature's superhero—it helps us reach our goal to make our University eco-friendly by capturing carbon, caring for the environment, and creating spaces that are good for learning and having fun.

We are also improving our University buildings and spaces with something called Green Infrastructure. Our colleagues in Campus Development, follow Natural England Green Infrastructure Principles, to ensure our University is a great place to learn and a place where nature can thrive. It's like creating buildings and spaces that are good for your health and the environment at the same time. We want our University landscape to be diverse, connected, easy to access, and special for everyone who learns and spends time here.

‌‌