Attention for biodiversity in higher education

How important is biodiversity for higher education? In the context of the International Day of Biodiversity (May 22), 11 universities and colleges worked together on a video in which they explain this.

Erasmus University Rotterdam is happy to contribute to the promotion of biodiversity. For example, on campus where insect boxes are hung in the campus garden, there is an organic vegetable garden and we now make our own compost. This is all in mind to increase the diversity of species in flora and fauna.

When mowing the grass on campus, biodiversity has also been considered. Benjamin van der Kemp, project leader sustainability in business operations, says about this in the joint video: "We work on biodiversity by applying a varied mowing policy.".

"We work on biodiversity by applying a varied mowing policy"

Benjamin van der Kemp

project leader sustainability in business operations

Green campus

Erasmus University Rotterdam has the ambition to become one of the most sustainable universities in the Netherlands. Creating a sustainable and green campus is an important part of this ambition. Increasing biodiversity on campus is one of the themes in Campus in Development III. In recent years, for example, more color has been added to the perennials on campus, which again attract bees and insects. Furthermore, no pesticides are used and the weeds are removed as much as possible by hoeing.

Students help out in the campus garden

Campustuin

A vegetable garden was opened on campus in 2019, which is maintained by Edible EUR and the Erasmus Sustainability Hub. The products from the campus garden are used by the Foodlab and the Erasmus Sport Café, among others. In addition to the vegetable garden, the campus garden also provides a bee palace, which currently houses around 70,000 bees. EdibleEUR is currently working on an index of wild plants and insects they encounter in the campus garden, which students and staff can use to increase their knowledge.