The University of Kent has joined Universities from across the world in pledging to be a Nature Positive University.
Nature Positive means halting and reversing nature loss so that species and ecosystems start to recover. For a university, that means restoring species and ecosystems that have been harmed by the impacts of a university and its activities, and enhancing the university’s positive impacts on nature.
The pledge will see Kent examine everything it does, from its teaching and research work to the operations and supply chains that keep it running, and how these impact biodiversity. To be a Nature Positive University, it will establish a measured biodiversity baseline and set clear targets and actions to improve on this, monitoring and reporting on progress over time.
The initial steps towards this have been outlined in the University’s new Landscape and Biodiversity Strategy which covers the next 2-5 years. In line with the pledge, the University has committed to assess the baseline for campus biodiversity and the impact of activities as a university on global biodiversity within the next two years. This activity is planned alongside existing and future projects which aim enhance the 300 acre Canterbury Campus for biodiversity, engage people with its natural spaces, and build links between these and Kent’s learning and teaching activities.
The strategy is a collaborative work by the University’s Biodiversity Working Group which brings together operational and academic staff from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, the Sustainability Team, the Estates Department and more, as well as representative students who work collectively to improve the biodiversity across our campus.
Speaking on their behalf, Sustainability Officer Emily Mason said: ‘We do a wide number of activities on campus to support biodiversity, with the Landscape and Grounds Team leading on operational activities, such as designing drought-tolerant planting schemes that are high in pollen; managing our coppicing rotation for a healthy woodland; and reducing herbicide usage including a trial ban on Glyphosate.
‘We also have a lot of historical and annual survey data on species here thanks to DICE, so our baseline work on campus is quite mature. However, we have a large foot printing exercise to do, looking at how our procurement, operations and activities impact biodiversity beyond our campus borders.
‘We are just at the start of our Nature Positive journey, but we hope that many will follow along with our progress. If you want to see some of our highlights for the last year you can read our End of Year summary report.’