University of York case study that has been included in the latest ISCN circular
International Sustainable Campus Network
The International
Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) provides a global forum to support leading
colleges, universities, and corporate campuses in the exchange of information,
ideas, and best practices for achieving sustainable campus operations and
integrating sustainability in research and teaching.
The University of York is characterised by two lakeside
campuses that are home to an abundance of wildlife. The original campus is
located on over 200 acres of parkland centred around an extensive lake and
boasts a wide variety of environments, ideal for supporting the University’s
aim to diversify their habitat and broaden their species range. Not only does
York boast areas of woodland and wildflower beds, it has established an on-site
bird sanctuary, and developed safe nesting sites including sand martin banks.
The York campus is well known for its abundance of wildfowl,
celebrated in this Duck of the day website, but more recently the University has also focused on improving
its habitats for bees. Providing food and shelter for bees and other
pollinators is an integral element of the Estates team’s ecological management
plan.
Blooms and bulbs for the bees
Since 2008 the University has been developing its newest
campus, Campus East, which features a species-rich area of meadow land to
provide foraging for bees and other pollinating insects. More than 10 per cent
of the entire University estate is currently given over to wildflowers and the
sowing of further wildflowers is carried out annually in selected areas to
encourage a broader range of species across the site. A specially-chosen
biodiversity mix of bulbs, including crocus, tulips and narcissus, have been
planted across 1500 square meters of the University’s grounds in past three years.
Bulbs are often the first flowers to appear in spring, making them particularly
important to encouraging bees and pollinators at York.
Six bee hotels have been introduced on campus, with another
two being added shortly, to provide nesting areas for solitary bees and the
Estates team have decreased the frequency of grass cutting in key areas to
encourage further wildflower growth to provide more bee-friendly environments.
It’s a testament to the success of the initiatives so far
that several beekeepers have hives on campus to take advantage of the foraging
that the wildflower areas now provide for their bees.
The wildflower and meadow land areas also provide a great
habitat for other invertebrates which, in turn, attract birds that both feed on
the insects and can use the habitats for nesting and breeding. For example, up
to 17 breeding pairs of skylark, listed as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan
priority species, have been spotted on campus.
The enhanced habitats also provide an extra teaching and learning
resource not only for the University’s own students but also for visiting
school groups, underlining the University’s commitment to the local community
and to widening participation.
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