Students go wild for sustainability project
A student-led project to boost biodiversity across Staffordshire University’s Stoke-on-Trent campus is underway
Wild Staffs is funded by the University’s Sustain Staffs campaign which has made £50,000 available for projects which will help to make its campuses more environmentally friendly.
Student specialising in Ecology and Environmental Management are leading the venture which will provide a mixture of environmental benefits while enhancing the on-campus experience for the students, staff and the community.
Jasmine Barton, 28, from Biddulph used to work as a make-up artist before she decided to pursue her passion for the outdoors at university and hopes to design conservation projects when she graduates.
She said: “Returning as a mature student was quite a big step but I’m so glad that I did because this is exactly what I love to do. I want to do this as a living so Wild Staffs is a perfect placement for me. We are using a lot of ecological practices and theories, so it helps with the course as well.”
“Everyone benefits from a bit of nature therapy and think being outside does us the world of good. Hopefully this will invite more students to come outside and enjoy what nature has to offer specifically for wellbeing.”
Student Emily Baughn, 21, explained: “Wild Staffs is about increasing biodiversity on campus and making it more animal friendly so that more wild species can use it.
“I’ve been involved in the planning process, helping with paperwork and placing orders then helping to actually plant it all and carry out the project. It’s amazing for our CVs when we graduate.”
Wild Staffs aims to increase biodiversity by replacing flat turf with wildflowers and more varied planting to support wildlife from bugs through to small mammals and birds. Existing green walls on campus will also be revived, and ‘online live footage’ of bird boxes will be introduced.
The team also plan to create a wildlife garden with a pond to enhance wildlife habitats and the wellbeing of students and staff. New plants, trees and hedges will help to create a green corridor across campus, linking up the University’s nature reserve to Hanley Park.
Course mate Michael Wild, 21, added: “It’s amazing getting hands on experience and implement strategies that we’ve learned about on the course. A lot of carbon emissions are being produced so anything we can do to help reduce that is key. Knowing that this project is going to have a long-term effect on the environment and that we will be able to come back in ten years and see it all grown is great.”
The team have so far planted a new woodland area with native mixed species of trees and have put in hedgerows and shrubs which will help to capture pollution and attract more wildlife.
Dr Eleanor Atkins, a lecturer and researcher in urban ecology, said: “Over the last century, the UK has lost over 97% of its wildflower meadows, and in the last 40 years alone has lost 16% of hedgerows to removal and neglect. Urban areas are even more acutely affected, with isolated pockets of nature separated by large areas of built land, and infrastructure.
“If we can connect those together then species can move between them. For example, a bumblebee can only survive for 40 minutes without feeding so therefore we want to create stepping stones of wildflowers so they can move throughout the city and not get trapped.
“As a significant landowner within Shelton, the University has the ability to provide a large impact through its campus management and so we are really excited to be working on the Wild Staffs project.”
Amy Platts
Media Communications Officer
t: 01782 292702
m: 07799 341911
e: amy.platts@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University is the Connected University; connected to the needs of students, academic partners, business and society. Our main city campus in Stoke-on-Trent features excellent learning and teaching facilities and good transport links. We have specialist Centres of Excellence in Healthcare Education at Stafford and Shrewsbury.
We were recognised with a Gold award in the 2019 Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework (TEF) for delivering consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for students.
We were shortlisted for University of the Year at the THE Awards 2020 and were named ‘Midlands University of the Year’ at the Midlands Business Awards 2020.
Staffordshire University has signed up to the Civic University Agreement, pledging to play a leading role in improving the regional economy and enhancing quality of life in local communities. We were recognised in the top 15 for social inclusion in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021. We aim to be a leading university for digital technologies building on our proud computing heritage and in 2019 launched Staffordshire University London’s Digital Institute which is committed to preparing students for careers in new and emerging tech industries.
We are a Top 250 Young University (Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020) and are connected globally, with more than 11,000 people studying Staffordshire University degrees overseas.
