BORN TO REWILD

It’s not how most alumni will remember the Roger Stevens pond. Originally designed to cool the air systems in the building’s lecture theatres, the concrete square has been transformed. Subaquatic planting pods and floating islands flourish; damselflies, dragonflies and pipistrelle bats flit across the sky.

Equipped with sensors to provide live data to researchers, the pond is one example of how the Leeds Living Lab for Biodiversity project links the latest academic understanding with campus management to test sustainable solutions and improve the urban habitat.

An edible campus corridor of fruit trees and border plants runs from St George’s Field to Lyddon Terrace and the Social Sciences plaza. There is a rooftop garden above the Laidlaw Library, a wildflower area complete with apiary behind the School of Earth and Environment, and a sensory garden at Charles Morris Hall.

A thriving beekeper network is in place across campus. During summer, around 40,000 bees buzz across a number of hives.

Look to the skies for peregrine falcons, nesting atop Parkinson Tower, or the swifts flitting in and out of boxes on the Sir William Henry Bragg Building. Look to the undergrowth for foxes, hedgehogs and rabbits.

The University has become a pioneer for understanding and improving urban biodiversity. Its findings – which have revealed positive impacts, from better flood management to improved psychological wellness – are being shared across academic institutions and local authorities.