University of Leeds joins global Nature Positive Universities initiative
The University of Leeds has joined the global Nature Positive Universities initiative, strengthening its commitment to help halt and reverse biodiversity loss while creating a campus that supports nature, people and learning.
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the University of Oxford, Nature Positive Universities brings together higher education institutions from around the world that are committed to understanding, reducing and reversing their impacts on nature.
Joining the initiative builds on the University's existing work to embed biodiversity across its operations, estate and decision-making. This includes the University's Biodiversity Standard, Framework for Environmental and Social Responsibility, Climate Plan and the emerging Living Campus vision, which seeks to position nature recovery at the heart of campus development and management.
Michael Howroyd, Biodiversity Programme Lead at the University of Leeds, said:
"Nature is facing unprecedented pressures, but universities have a unique opportunity to demonstrate how biodiversity can be integrated into the places where people live, work, learn and undertake research."
Joining Nature Positive Universities provides an internationally recognised framework that will help us understand, measure and improve our impact on nature. It supports our ambition to become an exemplar of urban biodiversity and ensures that nature recovery is embedded across our estate, teaching, research and wider decision-making.
"This commitment builds on the significant work already underway at Leeds and will help us accelerate progress while sharing knowledge and learning with institutions around the world."
The programme will be delivered through a partnership between the University's Grounds and Gardens team and Sustainability Service, reflecting the collaborative approach that underpins the Living Campus vision.
Eleanor Wilson, who is currently seconded from the Grounds and Gardens team to support the University's biodiversity programme, said:
"One of the most exciting aspects of being involved in this work is the opportunity to connect strategic biodiversity ambitions with practical grounds management."
Nature Positive Universities will help us strengthen those links even further, ensuring that nature recovery becomes part of how we design, manage and care for our campus every day.
"Through the Living Campus approach, we're creating spaces that support wildlife while helping people connect with nature, improve wellbeing and create opportunities for learning, research and participation."
As part of the initiative, the University will continue to strengthen biodiversity considerations across estate management, development projects, procurement and decision-making processes. The programme will also create new opportunities for students and colleagues to engage with nature through volunteering, citizen science, teaching and research.
By joining a growing international network of institutions committed to nature recovery, the University of Leeds aims to demonstrate how higher education can play a leading role in tackling biodiversity loss and creating healthier, more resilient places for both people and wildlife.
We use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to guide our activity. Our work in the with Nature Positive Universities is linked to the following SDGs:
- SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 15: Life on Land
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
