College Biodiversity Baseline

College Biodiversity Baseline

In 2018, a Biodiversity Baseline was completed for both the University’s rural and operational estate.  This desk-based research project produced a comprehensive document cataloguing species and habitat types across the estate.  A summary report  was published providing a high-level overview of the main report. The baseline provided data to inform the development of the University’s first Biodiversity Action Plan, which was approved by University Council in July 2020 and sets out a 10-year vision for the enhancement of biodiversity across the estate.  This work is delivered under the guidance of the University’s Ecological Advisory Panel.  A baseline provides us with the starting point from which to measure the impact of future improvements for biodiversity.

During 2021-22, a project was commissioned by the College Bursars Environment Sub Committee to complete a biodiversity baseline assessment of Cambridge’s College sites within Cambridge city.

The College Biodiversity Baseline Summary Report provides a review of what wildlife is present on College sites across the collegiate operational estate and highlights the diversity of flora and fauna with which our staff, students and local community share these spaces. 

We recruited, Dr Louise Bacon, as our College Biodiversity Assistant to deliver this project.  Louise’s focus was to work with the Cambridge Colleges to conduct a comprehensive desk-based analysis of existing College land holdings, to identify existing habitat and species data, catalogue gaps in information and to collate best practice of any existing progress made in enhancing areas of the Colleges land holdings for biodiversity.  Dr Bacon then visited all 31 Colleges city landholdings, and worked with the College staff teams to get as full a picture as is practicable within the scope of the project, of the biodiversity currently present across the Collegiate estate.  Data was collected during 2021-22 and is accurate as of 31 July 2022.

Kirsty MacKinlay, one of our Engage for Change students, had already made good progress with understanding more about the positive work for biodiversity the College Gardeners had already been delivering across the Collegiate estate during the summer of 2021.  Our project aimed to build on that data and information, you can read more about this project here.

Data was gathered on a College by College basis, mapping the landholdings by habitat type and synthesising the state of biodiversity data across the Collegiate estate along with understanding existing management practices.  This baseline data will enable the Colleges to enhance and improve their green spaces for biodiversity and work with city wide partners to improve the city for wildlife on a landscape scale. 

Written by: Rachel Steward, Sustainability Manager