There is increasing awareness and interest in the importance of biodiversity to human health and wellbeing. Biodiversity plays a critical role in the maintenance of ecosystems in urban landscapes. The majority of tertiary institutions are set in urban or peri-urban landscapes so biodiversity management and planning is a key aspect of a campus environmental management plan. Healthy environmental conditions fulfill many important functions including the assimilation of pollutants, the control of pests and diseases and reduction of urban thermal heat. Recognising biodiversity values can lead to many positive outcomes for campus communities. For example, diverse and aesthetically pleasing landscapes can encourage greater recreational use, resulting in a safer and healthier campus space. The incorporation of biodiversity values in landscape planning can also provide research and learning opportunities for students and staff.
There is growing need for scientific research in urban biodiversity issues and tertiary institutions are well placed both to act as research hubs and as trial sites for the application of such research. A university biodiversity management plan can enable policy action by identifying priority areas for biodiversity conservation, opportunities to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem function through landscape design, and opportunities to capture and enhance the recreational, educational, and cultural values that biodiversity can embody.
