Biodiversity on Campus - The University of Manchester's Journal

As we approach the end of the final semester, the Greater Manchester City Nature Challenge 2024 (26th April – 29th April) comes at an ideal time for us all to prioritise our mental and physical wellbeing.

Organised by The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, Manchester Museum, Manchester Parks Team and Greater Manchester Local Records Centre, the 4-day bioblitz provides the perfect opportunity to explore the diversity of local wildlife, all within the vibrant atmosphere of our city.

Explore the GM City Nature Challenge iNaturalist page: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-greater-manchester

To help you get kick-started and familiarised with iNaturalist, the Faculty is hosting a Spring bioblitz at the Michael Smith Quad on the 25 April, 12:30 – 14:30pm. Originally an uninspiring lawn, the Michael Smith Quad has been transformed into a fantastic habitat designed to enhance biodiversity, now home to Bee Orchids, frogs, birds and more. There is no need to sign up, simply come along on the day!

Urban biodiversity is positively associated with human health and wellbeing, so it is extremely valuable for biodiverse green spaces to be incorporated into urban areas, including on our own University campus.

This is the mission of the quad wildlife garden in Michael Smith, which is open to staff and students who work in the building. Issy and Lily, the Michael Smith Quad gardeners are hosting a series of events to highlight Environmental Sustainability on campus.

All events will take place in the Quad/café area of the Michael Smith building.

The next Quad Event will take place on Wednesday 27th March 12 - 2 pm

There is no need to register, simply stop by in the afternoon to take part!

To stay updated with the latest Michael Smith Quad Events, visit our blogsite (https://blogs.manchester.ac.uk/bmh-sr/2023/10/23/upcoming-michael-smith-quad-events/)

Here at The University of Manchester, we are excited to announce the annual Irene Manton lecture on the 6 December 2023, in collaboration with The Linnean Society of London.

This lecture is free to attend and is open to everyone with A-level students especially welcome.

Celebrating the significant contribution made by women to the Natural Sciences, this year our speaker will be Julia Patricia Gordon Jones, Professor in Conservation Science, Bangor University.

Julia will explore whether conservation is working and if so, how do we know that it is? She will explore questions such as ‘do protected areas stop species declining?’, ‘is carbon offsetting slowing the loss of tropical forests?’ and ‘how can a small conservation organization best save the critically endangered Livingstone Fruit Bat?’.

We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be a truly inspiring evening!

Register and find out more via Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/irene-manton-lecture-2023-tickets-719120588037)

As a socially responsible University, The University of Manchester’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy (https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/display.aspx?DocID=33155) aims to address prominent environmental threats, such as biodiversity loss. Through Valuing Nature, the University intends to contribute to the wellbeing of the University community, support and protect wildlife, and provide spaces for education and research.

The University community doesn’t just include our staff and students; as an institution founded by and for the people of Manchester, this includes the people that visit our campus spaces.

To help meet our aims, we want to provide an easy way for people to monitor wildlife on our campus. To do this, we are using iNaturalist.

You don’t need to join the project; any observations you upload of wildlife on The University campus will automatically be added to the project site. However, if you wish to keep updated on recent observations or upcoming events, why not become a project member.

To help you get started, we’ve created a quick guide on how to identify and record species using the app (https://documents.manchester.ac.uk/DocuInfo.aspx?DocID=68551), featuring useful pictures and links.

So far we have identified over 200 species of plants, animals and fungi on campus. Get exploring and help us reach 300 or more!

We hope that in the long-term, the project aids our understanding and appreciation of urban wildlife, fosters environmentally sustainable practice, and helps improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the wider University community.

Keep an eye out for future events where we can explore nature on campus together, such as the upcoming EuroBioBlitz 2023 (https://www.bnhc.org.uk/eurobioblitz-2023). Why not sign up to our ES newsletter by emailing srbmh@manchester.ac.uk or follow our twitter @FBMH_SR to stay updated.

EuroBioBlitz is a wildlife recording event taking place across the whole of Europe on the 29-30th September 2023. It’s a chance for everyone to contribute to the study of Europe’s wildlife, helping to shape conservation efforts and support scientific research.

We can all help with nature’s recovery by helping fill in the gaps in what we know about the species on our doorstep. By recording nature nearby, everyone can support vital conservation research whilst connecting with nature and enjoying the outdoors.

Here at The University of Manchester, we are lucky to have green spaces on campus. On Friday 29th September, we will be meeting on campus to help contribute to the EuroBioBlitz through identifying and recording our urban wildlife. Everyone is invited to attend. You don’t need any skills in identifying wildlife, just an interest in the outdoors and a desire to preserve our urban wildlife.

Why not join us and help identify and record plants, animals and fungi for the BioBlitz.

Watch this space for further information about the event.

Why not sign up to our ES newsletter by emailing srbmh@manchester.ac.uk or follow our twitter @FBMH_SR to stay updated.