Biodiversity
Nature underpins our communities, our society and global business, and the University has committed to deliver environmental net gain in parallel with our net zero emissions target.
Nature Postive
We are part of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance the members of which aim to halt, prevent and reverse nature loss through addressing their own impacts and restoring ecosystems harmed by their activities.
In 2022 we signed the Nature Positive Universities pledge. This is a commitment to start a nature positive journey, incorporating a biodiversity baseline, targets, actions and annual reporting. A Biodiversity Task and Finish Group, chaired by Professor Juliet Osborne, is developing our Nature Positive Universities Strategy.
Hedgehog Friendly Campus
Penryn Campus has a silver award from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) Hedgehog Friendly Campus programme. The project is a UK-wide initiative which aims to turn university campuses into places where hedgehogs can thrive.
Grounds recognised by the Green Flag scheme
The gardens and grounds at Penryn Campus are recognised by the international Green Flag Award Scheme which rewards well-managed parks and green spaces, setting the benchmark standard for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.
Our Grounds and Sustainability teams work hard to encourage biodiversity on our campuses. This includes creating bee hotels; planting bee friendly plants; leaving areas unmown and seeded with wildflowers and leaving dead trees in situ so creatures can make them their homes. We have also dedicated 4.5 acres of land on campus to wildflowers.
In 2023 the biodiversity and grounds team planted 1,152 wildflower plugs on Penryn Campus. Over 5,000 square metres of grassland were enhanced by wildflower seedling and turf planting and 1,940 square metres of mixed evergreen and deciduous woodland were improved by invasive plant removal and tree planting.
Wildflowers encourage more insects which, in turn, support more birds and bats. We have seven species of bat on campus, including pipistrelle, long eared and horseshoe and they regularly feed on insects in the wildflower areas around Glasney Student Village.
You can find out more about our gardens in the Tremough Heritage Gardens leaflet which includes a history of the grounds, information on wildlife and key points of interest.