From 29^th April- 3^rd May, we hosted another themed week: Biodiversity Week.

Why?

We thought it would be a nice idea to host a Biodiversity Week to draw attention to the importance of protecting species and appreciating the world around us. This will become increasingly important as the climate continues to change, affecting species and their habitats on a global scale. Being outside in nature can also have such a positive impact on our mental health:

• According to the Mental Health Foundation, people who are more connected with nature are usually happier as nature can generate many positive emotions such as calmness, joy and creativity. Nature connectedness is also associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety.
• According to  Mind, spending time in nature can help you feel more relaxed and improve confidence and self- esteem, as well as giving you the opportunity to meet new people and connect with your local community.

What happened?

The schedule of events was as follows:

Monday 29^th April: Evening Blubell Walk, Burleigh Wood.

Its that time of year again when the Burleigh Wood showcases a stunning display of bluebells! The ‘best I have ever seen’ is often what our Assistant Gardens Manager, Rich, claims. If you haven’t already, make sure to go and check this out! It is important we take time out of our busy schedules to appreciate the nature around us; this can have such a positive impact on our mental health, and I promise you, the Burleigh bluebells will not disappoint. If you have the time to venture a bit further from campus, the Outwoods also has a wonderful landscape of bluebells!

This walk was led by Assistant Gardens Manager, Rich Fenn-Griffin, who has a wealth of knowledge about trees and the woodland areas on campus, as he supports the maintenance and protection of them all year round. The event was open to staff, students, and the community, and had an impressive turnout.

Tuesday 30^th April: Dawn Chorus Walk, Burleigh Wood

On the following day, we returned to the on-campus woodland to spot some birds!

This walk was led by student Curtis Burbridge, who has a fountain of knowledge when it comes to birds. There were over 10 people on the walk, which is impressive considering it took place at 6:30 in the morning! There was good engagement from all the participants, who seemed to enjoy the experience and find out a lot from it.

Curtis commented that:

“Species wise we heard at least 12 different, with highlights of Song Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Although my favourite moment, which I’m sure Rich will agree with, is when we had a treecreeper climb the tree in front of the group just after we had been describing them!”

“It was also beautiful to be surrounded by the bluebells whilst participating on the walk and the weather was perfect!”

Rich agreed with this:

“I can confirm that the tree creeper appearing on cue was quite something.  I joked that it was on a string as it shot up the tree and then flew off across the wood.  The song thrush was also delightful.”

It certainly sounds like a lovely morning.

Tuesday 30^th April: Welfare Walk and Litter Pick

As part of Geography’s Welfare Week, co-ordinated by Grace, their department SIO for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, we collaborated for a ‘Welfare Walk and Litter Pick’. The weather was beautiful, and we had a lovely stroll around the campus, uplifting our moods, and picking up a few bits of litter along the way. This helps improve the look of the campus and protect the local wildlife form harm.

Grace reflected that:

“The weather was lovely and we collected 2 large bags of rubbish before treating ourselves to an ice cream for our hard work! We would like to say a massive thank you to Lottie and her colleagues for giving up their time and letting us use their equipment for this event. I highly recommend getting involved in future sustainability activities!”

Thank you to everyone involved and we look forward to supporting future events. If you have any ideas for these, do not hesitate to get in touch with our Sustainability Team sustainability@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk or our Sustainability Assistant enviroassist@lboro.ac.uk .

This article is in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land. To read more click here.