Green Gown Awards 2021: Student Engagement - University of Leeds - Finalist

Urban Biodiversity Monitoring Programme

The Leeds Urban Biodiversity Monitoring programme has been co-created between staff, students, and academics to inform campus biodiversity management and development and provide students with valuable engagement, monitoring and employability skills. Student Ambassadors work alongside student and staff volunteers, guided by an interdisciplinary group of academic colleagues and sustainability staff, to map and monitor biodiversity on campus. During the pandemic they have also provided lectures, webinars, and drop-in sessions for a variety of people, from local schoolchildren to academic researchers on urban biodiversity.

The programme has received international acclaim through the International Sustainable Campus Network Awards and students have showcased their work to a wide variety of audiences, presenting to University partners in Japan, the USA, as part of the Club of Rome UN Youth Summit as well as more locally with other Leeds city institutions and was presented at the ISCN conference in 2021.

Top 3 learnings:

1. We can enhance the student experience at the University by providing real-world opportunities.
2. We can use the living lab as a powerful tool for delivering sustainability.
3. We can use the creativity and passion of our students to drive sustainability!

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)