At SOS-UK, we strive to do our best for nature, wildlife, and the people around us.  We cannot overstate the importance of biodiversity as part of this. It is essential for the processes that support all life on Earth, including humans. Without a wide range of animals, plants, and microorganisms, we cannot have the healthy ecosystems that we rely on to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat.

We know that 86% of students want their universities and colleges to take action to protect and support nature on their land. This resounding endorsement highlights the pivotal role educational institutions could play in conservation, especially given that the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.  

Following the UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022, the UK committed to protect and conserve a minimum of 30% of land and sea for biodiversity by 2030, known as 30 by 30. Further to this, all educational institutions must now legally ensure that habitats for wildlife are left in a measurably better state than they were before any developments. However, universities and colleges already own more than 36,000 hectares of land that could contribute to our 30 by 30 targets.

In response to this, SOS-UK has launched two new areas of work to support universities and colleges to bring nature back to campuses. The first is our ‘Wilder Campuses Advisory programme’ that will help universities and colleges to make student-led decisions on their next steps for nature. The second is ‘Edible Campuses’ that will support the transformation of campuses into a connected landscape of food for people and wildlife.  

Both complement our ever popular Hedgehog Friendly Campus programme that provides a framework to create positive change for hedgehogs and other wildlife on campus and enables staff and students to recognise their own impacts on nature, and our newest grant funded project ‘Wilding Campuses’.  

Have questions or want to discuss further? Our diverse range of programmes also covers student and staff engagement, curriculum change, carbon reduction, wellbeing, behaviour change. Contact us to schedule a call. Or you can simply sign up anytime using our convenient online form (students, please refer to our Take Action page rather than completing the sign-up form). Spaces are limited, so make sure to sign up not to miss out!

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