We have achieved recognition for our great work on promoting biodiversity by achieving the Platinum Hedgehog Friendly Campus Award 2024.
We are joining only six Universities to achieve this status and it is testament to the great work being done by our cross functional team, including actions from our Grounds and Gardens team, Botanic Gardens team, Department of Biosciences, and our Energy and Sustainability team.
As part of implementing our biodiversity strategy the team have converted nine hectares of lawns to annually mown grassland and planted focus areas with local wildflowers. In addition, more than four hectares at the Botanic Garden have been enriched to increase their wildflower diversity, allowing many plants, amongst them buttercups, dandelions and daisies, to flower and become more prevalent on our grassland. In total we have enhanced more than 13 hectares of grassland habitat and will continue to improve these areas to support a wider variety of plant species and invertebrates and improve the foraging area for mammals.
Over 40% of our grounds have been made more accessible and safer for wildlife. We have removed 70 metres of mesh fencing, installed four new ‘hedgehog highways’ have to enable movement between our colleges, and leaves from newly planted native hedgerows and trees will provide vital materials for nesting. New log piles have been built beneath mature trees to house nests in the Botanic Garden alongside new ‘bug hotels’.
As part of our biodiversity action plan, we have engaged with the local community. We visited primary schools and increased children’s knowledge of hedgehogs via our awareness sessions. We encouraged 850 local households, three primary schools and two scout groups to make their gardens more wildlife friendly and shared information on the Hedgehog Street website, where hedgehog friendly activity can be tracked.
This accreditation is just one of the many ways in which the University is supporting biodiversity across our estate. Our Biodiversity Delivery Group, a team comprising staff from Energy and Sustainability, Biodiversity, Botanic Gardens, Grounds Maintenance teams and the Department of Biosciences, are working to enhance biodiversity across Durham. Staff and students have volunteered their time to collect data across campus and have made small but significant changes to their own gardens to support wildlife.
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