Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth. It is the wonderful diversity of living organisms around us. Biodiversity is fundamental to our health, wealth and well-being. It provides us with food, fuel and clean water as well as vital services which our social, economic and emotional wellbeing depend on.

We are working to protect and enhance biodiversity. A healthy ecosystem is better able to provide the benefits and services we rely on, and this will help us mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

Below are the groups and initiatives focusing on biodiversity.

The Biodiversity Working Group

The Biodiversity Working Group was formed in autumn 2019. The working group consists of staff, academics, students and experts from external organisations such as the St Andrews Botanic Garden. The group works on improving biodiversity through:

  • survey, monitor and control of species and plants
  • habitat infrastructure, management, and planting
  • research and teaching
  • communication and engagement.

Are you interested to learn more or become a part of the Biodiversity Working Group? Contact environment@st-andrews.ac.uk. 

Meadows in the Making

With the University aiming to be Net Zero by 2035, moving towards more sustainable land management offers an exciting and important opportunity to enhance biodiversity and sequester carbon. The grant-funded Meadows in the Making project has enabled us to convert over 5 ha of closely-mown grassland to meadow habitat, create 0.76 ha of new woodland and plant over 2,600m of hedgerow. This is the first step towards our 2035 target of managing more than 60% of our land for biodiversity.

We are putting a transformational grassland management programme into practice. It involves less frequent mowing, a reduced carbon footprint and richer spaces for biodiversity. Creating species-rich meadows will take time and careful management.  

We have been working in partnership with St Andrews Botanic Gardens, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, Fife Council and Crail Community Partnership. The initiative also supports the Fife Council’s Grassland Management aims for the Kingdom, converting 10% of amenity grassland to more natural landscapes to increase biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions.

Green Corridors

The Green Corridors project is a collaboration between the St Andrews Botanic Garden, the University, Fife Council and BugLife. The project restores habitats and controls invasive species along Kinness Burn and North Haugh Campus.

500 trees have been planted since the Green Corridors project was initiated in 2020. This includes public spaces and private gardens in St Andrews.

If you want to plant a tree or learn more about the Green Corridors project, please contact info@standrewsbotanic.org.  

BioBlitz

The Green Corridors project is a collaboration between the St Andrews Botanic Garden, the University, Fife Council and BugLife. The project restores habitats and controls invasive species along Kinness Burn and North Haugh Campus.

500 trees have been planted since the Green Corridors project was initiated 2020. This includes public spaces and private gardens in St Andrews.

A hedgehog-friendly campus

Hedgehogs were declared vulnerable to extinction this past summer in Britain. The University has partnered with the Hedgehog Friendly Campus programme, sponsored by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, to combat their decline. We work to qualify as a Hedgehog Friendly Campus through: 

  • creating hedgehog-friendly environments
  • raising awareness
  • fundraising.

The University has achieved Bronze Accreditation from the British Hedgehog Society as part of its Hedgehog Friendly Campuses campaign.

Hedgehog Friendly Campuses bronze award 2021-2022

The accreditation is a result of the engagement of the University’s student-led Hedgehog Friendly Campus society – supported by colleagues from Estates – who have spent the past year conducting litter picks, placing hedgehog houses around campus and putting together hedgehog tunnels to survey hedgehog population numbers.

The team’s next steps will be to work towards Silver Accreditation, which will involve more surveys, campaigning and other activities.

If you love hedgehogs or want to do your part to conserve biodiversity locally, get involved by contacting environment@st-andrews.ac.uk or follow us on Instagram or Facebook for regular project updates.

All staff, students, and community members are welcome, whether you are passionate about conservation or just the species themselves. Together, we can help hedgehogs by reaching University Bronze, Silver and Gold Accreditation. 

Vertically Integrated Projects (for students)

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) gives students from any discipline and level of study the opportunity to join a research team as part of their degree studies.

There are currently five VIPs focusing on environmental sustainability:

The new St Andrews Forest VIP will be launched in semester 2 of 2022-23. See the VIP web pages for more information. 

The Biodiversity Literacy 2021/ 2022 cohort recently visited the Isle of May. Watch the video below to find out more about their experiences learning about biodiversity in St Andrews and the surrounding area.