SDG15: Life on Land
Northumbria is supporting biodiversity and life on land not only through management of our own campus and work with local partners, but we are also making significant impacts through our research expertise and engagement. This page outlines specific policies, processes and practices that support SDG15: Life on Land.
Events About Sustainable Use of Land
Northumbria supports, hosts and organises events aimed at promoting conservation and sustainable utilisation of the land, including forests and wild land. Northumbria has ongoing events and programmes related to nature and sustainability, including activities like regular litter picks in support of our hedgehog friendly campus, and reuse workshops, as well as research-based events and talks.
A recent event is our Newcastle Climate Change Forum and Great Climate Debate, co-hosted by Northumbria, Newcastle University and Newcastle City Council under the Collaborative Newcastle Universities Agreement at Northumbria's Great Hall in March 2026. Open to civic leaders, businesses and the wider public, the event drew over 100 attendees to an evening of expert led learning on greening the city's university campuses, sustainable land use and urban biodiversity.
Other examples of our nature educational outreach include:
Our Wild Roots Community Garden project in the Ouseburn, delivered in partnership with the Ouseburn Trust, involved pond dipping with primary and secondary age youngsters, some of them from special needs provision or teenagers not in school.
BALTIC's Creative Climate Club delivered workshops with Hotspur school and college groups.
The Farrell Centre's Concrete Dreams exhibition involved working with Byker Primary School, leading to an exhibition of maps of children's lives.
A Royal Society biodiversity project worked with Percy Main School, with NUSTEM as organisers.
General public field work, primarily pond dips, is run with a range of organisations including the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Freeman Hospital.
Public talks, workshops and walks are run regularly with organisations including the Wildlife Trust, NHSN, the Lit and Phil, and the Ouseburn Trust.
Our series of events on Connecting People with Nature in our Cities, considered how, in working more closely together, we might amplify our shared efforts of promoting conservation and increasing the nature we have in our cities, and people's connections with that nature.
As part of our public lecture series, Concrete Jungles? The Value of Cities for Biodiversity considered how the majority of the world's population now live in cities. Continued urbanisation is threatening sustainability and contributing to the biodiversity crisis. Traditionally, urban areas have been seen as concrete jungles capable of supporting only depauperate fauna and flora. The event explored findings from recent research that disputes this view, drawing on UK and global scale studies to reveal the true value of urban areas for biodiversity, and the value that this urban nature has for people.
Maintain and Extend Current Ecosystems' Biodiversity
We are committed to the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems associated with the university, and to maintaining and extending existing ecosystems and their biodiversity, both on our campuses and within the wider community. A new Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) 2024 to 2029 was developed during the 2024 to 2025 academic year, and it is through this plan that we are conserving ecosystems under threat, ensuring that both plant and animal species can thrive in an urban environment. Our BAP establishes ecological baselines and realistic recommendations for biodiversity gains, with measurable targets to improve biodiversity value over time. It supports the goals set out in our Environmental Sustainability Policy, including increasing areas of medium and high value biodiversity across our estate.
We include local biodiversity in the planning and development process at every stage of campus developments, for example new building construction, integrating green roofs and walls, sustainable drainage systems, pollinator friendly landscaping and tree replacement planting. This approach ensures net gains in green infrastructure, supporting local wildlife species, pollinators and bird and bat populations. Recent projects include the creation of pocket parks, and our large-scale campus redevelopments will achieve a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain.
The Biodiversity Strategy, detailed in Section 4 of the BAP, focuses on protecting vulnerable ecosystems and species, with targeted actions such as supporting the UK's declining hedgehog populations. Measures include the installation of log piles across campus to create insect habitats, which in turn provide vital food sources for hedgehogs and other wildlife. We also support endangered hedgehogs through our Hedgehog Friendly Campus Gold Award status.
Our annual biodiversity goals include introducing new pollinator species in the Ellison Quad and monitoring their impact on bee populations, ensuring that progress is both data driven and measurable.
Our BAP has set ambitious biodiversity targets to be achieved by 2029, including:
- implementing a university wide Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP)
- Achieving a 10% increase in biodiversity units
- Increasing hedgerow units by 20%
- Removing invasive species across the City Campus
- Creating 100 new habitats for urban species such as hedgehogs, bats, birds and invertebrates
- Continuing to act as a Hedgehog Friendly University by enhancing habitats and connectivity across the estate
Our Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan requires that low impact maintenance methods are used across campus, including:
- Prioritising non-chemical weed control methods such as mulching and hand pulling
- Avoiding fertiliser use to prevent nutrient overloads that harm species diversity
- Carefully scheduling maintenance to prevent disturbance to protected species such as breeding birds and hedgehogs
- Reusing wood and deadwood to create wildlife refuges in scrub or woodland areas
- Regularly monitoring and removing invasive species, litter and fly-tipping to maintain ecological health
The University Sustainability Management Group oversees the implementation of the BAP and HMMP, with progress on biodiversity reported in the Annual Sustainability Report.
Our researchers are also working directly to support habitats around the world, especially ecosystems under threat. Their research shows that mangrove forests, which protect tropical and subtropical coastlines, are drowning in the Maldives. Rising sea level, at an accelerated rate of over 30mm per year between 2017 and 2020, combined with an extreme Indian Ocean Dipole event, led some Maldivian islands to lose over half of their mangrove cover since 2020. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, reveal the vulnerability of mangrove ecosystems to rapid sea level rise and highlight the need for urgent adaptive conservation strategies in small island developing states.
Educational Programmes on Ecosystems
Northumbria offers a number of free educational programmes and outreach on ecosystems for local and national communities on wild flora and fauna through our research centres. The University has partnered with various organisations to deliver events aimed at promoting conservation, restoration and sustainable use of the land, as well as maintaining shared land ecosystems. Locally, Northumbria staff and students worked with Urban Green, a local charity that maintains parks and allotments across our city, to develop educational programmes for engaging children in co-designing local parks in ways that would help pollinators to thrive. The project saw our students working with local children aged five to seven as part of a learning programme based around a character called Buzzy the Bee, which introduces youngsters to bees and how wildflower hotspots may help encourage more bees and pollinators.
Recent examples of our educational outreach include:
- Wild Roots Community Garden in the Ouseburn: pond dipping with primary and secondary age youngsters, some of them from special needs provision or teenagers not in school.
- BALTIC Creative Climate Club: Hotspur school and college workshops.
- Farrell Centre Concrete Dreams: working with Byker Primary School, leading to an exhibition of maps of children's lives.
- Royal Society biodiversity project: working with Percy Main School, via NUSTEM as organisers.
- General public field work, primarily pond dips: we run public pond dips with a range of organisations including the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the Natural History Society of Northumbria and the Freeman Hospital.
- Public talks, workshops and walks: we run these regularly with organisations including the Wildlife Trust, NHSN, the Lit and Phil, and the Ouseburn Trust.
Nationally, our Geography and Natural Sciences academics helped deliver Farming for Carbon and Nature, a project led by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), the environmental arm of the NUS. The project conducted biodiversity surveys and improvements at over 25 universities across the UK, teaching and training students, university staff, local farmers and other members of the community in how to best manage university farmland and estates for both biodiversity gains and carbon capture, and how to evaluate and improve sustainable land management under climate change scenarios.
Educational Outreach for the Sustainable Management of Land for Agriculture
Northumbria offers free educational outreach for the sustainable management of land for agriculture through community initiatives, partnerships with local and international organisations, and other learning opportunities. The university ensures its expertise is shared effectively with both students and the broader community, through our free seminars and public lecture programme.
Within our academic structure, Northumbria integrates sustainable land and agricultural management into educational programmes and modules. All graduates receive education on the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the university's Education for Sustainable Development initiative. Within the curriculum, the Environmental Science (Extended Degree) includes modules on sustainable development, which explore how sustainability principles can be applied to both urban and rural land management within the local area, such as the Newcastle-Gateshead conurbation. For postgraduate students, the MSc in Disaster Management and Sustainable Development offers modules on themes like environmental change and natural resource management, using case studies from developing nations to illustrate practical approaches to food security and sustainable development. These programmes are designed to equip students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to address real world environmental challenges.
Northumbria also engages in outreach on sustainable farming through its Food and Nutrition research group, which works with food industry partners to support innovation in the food supply chain, informing its teaching and contributing to more sustainable land management and agricultural practices.
At a local level, Northumbria operates the Green Zone Allotment on campus, offering hands on learning where students and staff can grow their own fruit and vegetables. Green Zone is a hub for projects that support biodiversity and connect people with nature, for instance by installing bug hotels and fruit trees that benefit both people and wildlife. We also support the local food system with locally and seasonally sourced produce through our catering services, and have partnered with apps including Too Good To Go and Olio to reduce food waste by selling discounted surplus food to the local community. Locally, Northumbria researchers have conducted studies on soil quality in urban allotments across Newcastle, providing data which the university reports has influenced national soil guidelines on lead. The researchers examined almost 300 samples of soil and crops gathered from 31 sites in Newcastle. They found that lead concentrations within vegetables grown in the allotments such as parsnips, carrots, leeks and onions varied depending on the type of vegetable, but typically remained below national food safety guidelines.
Beyond campus, Northumbria extends its outreach on sustainable land management through various collaborations. Nationally, our Geography and Natural Sciences academics helped deliver the Farming for Carbon and Nature educational programme, led by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK), the environmental arm of the NUS. As part of the project, we conducted biodiversity surveys and improvements at over 25 university farms and estates across the UK, teaching and training students, university staff, local farmers and other members of the community in sustainable land management practices, including how to best manage agricultural land for both biodiversity and carbon capture, and reducing emissions.
Working with local authorities, the National Farmers' Union, the National Trust and industry experts, Northumbria academics developed a renewables toolkit that helps farmers plan how land is used across a holding, sequencing decisions on where to site renewable energy infrastructure alongside existing agricultural use, soil type and habitat value, so that land management and energy generation are planned together rather than in competition. Advice is tailored for use at a local level, prioritising individual farms or smallholdings, and the toolkit was produced through a series of online and in person workshops at Northumbria University.
The university's Healthy Living Lab also collaborates with local authorities to deliver Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programmes. These initiatives provide nutritious meals and engaging activities to children and young people, addressing food poverty while promoting healthy eating.
On a global scale, Northumbria's outreach includes international partnerships and projects. The university has contributed to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria, where we established a Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The centre has so far trained more than 50 local entrepreneurs and university students in managing and converting local waste, and many more on green construction methods and agriculture, helping them also to plan, design and build appropriate small-scale renewable energy systems using techniques such as solar energy harvesting, biomass waste processing, and bio-gas production.
Educational Outreach for the Sustainable Management of Land for Tourism
Northumbria offers a range of free educational programmes and community outreach initiatives that promote sustainable management of land for tourism, alongside our fee-based degree courses. The University's approach combines academic teaching, applied research and local engagement to ensure that both students and communities benefit from our expertise in responsible and sustainable tourism practices.
Our Newcastle Business School, recognised as a Centre of Excellence by the Institute of Travel and Tourism, integrates sustainability and responsible tourism into undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, ensuring that students understand the social, environmental and economic impacts of tourism. Courses include modules on responsible tourism, destination management and the sustainable development goals, which are informed by research projects and industry collaboration.
Our staff and students regularly participate in consultancy projects and dissertations that address issues faced by local councils, community organisations and tourism businesses. For example, Professor Tom Mordue's research, commissioned by Northumberland County Council through the Institute of Local Governance, evaluated the impacts of onshore wind farms on tourism. The research directly informed the Northumberland County Council Strategic Plan and the Northumberland County Council Economic Strategy, and has been used as reference material by the Council's planning department in wind farm planning decisions.
Northumbria also works with regional partners to design and implement tourism initiatives that benefit local economies while protecting cultural and environmental assets. This includes work with heritage sites, rural tourism projects and local destination management organisations to improve visitor experiences, develop responsible tourism strategies and promote conservation. A local example, building on a 10 year collaboration between Northumbria, Newcastle University, the National Trust, Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust and Gateshead Council, is our participation in Project Flourish, led by Dr Rebecca Prescott of Northumbria's Newcastle Business School and Dr Alexander Wilson of Newcastle University, and funded with £165,000 from Gateshead Council's UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation. The project feeds outreach programmes for wider land regeneration, promoting tourism along the Tyne Derwent Way, a nine mile outdoor trail connecting the centre of Gateshead with the Derwent Valley. As a multidisciplinary and collaborative project, Flourish aims to promote a more dynamic, creative and cultural environment in Gateshead, with research spanning ecosystem mapping to urban participatory planning, and researchers working with a stakeholder group of artists, local businesses, communities and other cultural sector entrepreneurs to understand the challenges, opportunities and infrastructure needed to promote tourism within the area.
Nationally, our Architecture Department supports tourism by contributing to sustainable land management and heritage preservation through educational outreach and applied design projects. Their research supports the conservation and adaptive reuse of historic sites such as Manchester Library, Land of Oak and Iron, and Seaton Delaval Hall and Gardens. These projects not only enhance public understanding of heritage and place-making, but also provide learning opportunities for students and communities on sustainable tourism, building design and site management.
Northumbria's B-HIVE research group connects tourism, heritage and community engagement through applied research and educational outreach programmes. Our free public exhibitions, workshops and community based teaching projects developed through B-HIVE and our Business School help local residents, policymakers and tourism professionals engage with the sustainability challenges of managing land for tourism, and develop solutions together.
Collaboration for Shared Land Ecosystems
Northumbria works with the local community to look after shared land ecosystems, recognising that habitats and the species that depend on them do not stop at the edge of our estate. Our Environmental Sustainability Policy includes our commitment to support biodiversity. Our Biodiversity Action Plan is informed by a biodiversity audit every two years and overseen by a working group of staff and students. Our approach extends well beyond the campus boundary through partnerships with city and regional organisations. In addition, our students carry out biodiversity studies and surveys throughout the North East, supporting other organisations to enhance their own contributions to SDG15 Life on Land.
Locally we are members of the Newcastle Biodiversity Group, which brings together practitioners and academics from Northumbria, the NHS, Newcastle City Council Parks Department and Newcastle University. The group is working to encourage large scale wild flower planting across the city and supports the North East Community Forest project.
Our partnership with Urban Green supported projects that tackle habitat loss and safeguard fragile ecosystems in the City’s parks. Through the project, habitat improvements helped create and restore 41 green spaces across public parks, nature reserves and previously developed land to support pollinator species. Through the Beelines Project we have carried out pollinator research at four exemplar sites within a planned network of 45 nectar rich public sites. The network aims to plant 2,500 trees and 25,000 bulbs and to create 18 hectares of grassland, with traineeships (including for young offenders), volunteering and schools work.
We have also worked with children directly. Northumbria students worked with local children aged five to seven, using the Buzzy the Bee programme to help design local parks that support pollinators. Our researchers ran two events on Connecting People with Nature in our Cities, exploring how closer collaboration can increase urban nature and people’s connection to it.
Regionally, we are a collaborating partner in Green Corridors North East, a £3 million project led by Newcastle, Durham and Teesside universities with the National Trust, local authorities and community organisations. The project is delivering three green corridors transforming 35 miles of urban, suburban and rural land across Gateshead, Durham and South Tees, connecting people with nature, history and culture while increasing biodiversity and improving wellbeing. The corridors are the Tyne Derwent Way, which opened in 2024, a River Wear route linking Durham city centre with over 1,000 hectares of green and blue space, and Tees to Topping, which connects Middlesbrough and the Tees Estuary to the North York Moors National Park. Each forms part of the National Trust Green Corridor programme, which aims to establish 20 large corridors across England, Northern Ireland and Wales by 2030. The project is funded through the Arts and Humanities Research Council Mission Awards, which pilot a team-based approach to research. Dr Rebecca Prescott of Newcastle Business School is a Co-Investigator, building on her research into collaboration in delivering the Tyne Derwent Way and Flourish Gateshead. Wider partners include Natural England, Durham Wildlife Trust, Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, Wear Rivers Trust and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Nationally, we are part of the steering group for Farming for Carbon and Nature, led by SOS-UK. The project includes biodiversity surveys and improvements at more than 25 universities, training students, university staff, local farmers and other community members to manage land for both biodiversity and carbon capture.
We are members of a number of net zero and nature recovery initiatives. These include the Wansbeck restoration for climate change project, which is restoring 162 hectares of habitat in partnership with Groundwork, Natural England and other local partners. With NECCO, the Forestry Commission and other regional partners we have also produced a carbon budget for the natural and semi natural habitats of the North East, the first such estimates for a region of the UK.
Our researchers also partnered with the International Sensor Project and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to develop and test a rapid assessment method for forest fragments in the rainforests of South East Asia. The method helps expand conservation into the wider landscape and enables communities to have the value of local habitats properly recognised.
Shared Spaces and Community Engagement
On campus, Green Zone in Ellison Garden gives staff and students a shared outdoor space focused on wellbeing and sustainability, alongside our allotment. Our Urban Pollinators research project uses campus spaces to compare the plants favoured by city and country bees, as part of our Living Lab approach. We have also achieved Gold Hedgehog Friendly Campus status from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, with a staff and student team delivering litter picks, training and guidance.
Protecting Shared Ecosystems Through Our Operations
Our Construction and Refurbishment Procedure requires all planning and development activity to follow our Biodiversity Action Plan, including our Biodiversity Map of areas needing protection. Where needed this involves wildlife surveys and management plans, for example for bat conservation. Our Grounds Maintenance Policy Procedure sets out how we protect and enhance wildlife habitats around our campuses. Our Discharges to Water Procedure sets water quality standards to minimise the risk of pollution to the wider environment, with separate arrangements for external spillages.
