Biodiversity
Biodiversity sustains life and is crucial for environmental, social and economic development, both now and in the future.
Protecting and Enhancing Biodiversity
As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, we are dedicated to preserving and enhancing biodiversity. We have several projects and commitments that we are working towards, you can find out more information below.
If you would life to visit some of our green spaces on campus, take a look at our Sustainable Campus map to find where they are.
Nature Positive Pledge
Newcastle University made a Nature Positive Pledge in December 2022. To be a Nature Positive institution, Newcastle University needs to restore the species and ecosystems that have been harmed by the impacts of our university and the activities we conduct.
We also need to enhance our positive impact on nature, there are 4 main steps that Nature Positive Universities outline as a pathway to achieve this:
- Assess our baseline
- Set SMART targets
- Act and influence for nature using the Conservation Hierarchy
- Report annually on our progress
City Nature Challenge
We participated in the 2025 City Nature Challenge with both ERIC NE and Durham University to try and submit as many observations within the North East boundary across four days in April.
The North East project which Newcastle University is located within placed within the top ten of UK regions that took part. We organised a mini bioblitz and lunchtime nature walks to the local parks where colleagues and students could learn and practice how to submit observations. We look forward to participating again in April 2026.
Assessing our baseline
We are currently conducting both habitat and species surveys on campus to establish our biodiversity baseline. We are surveying bats, birds, hedgehogs and pollinators across campus through a variety of survey techniques to establish any presence of these species across our campus.
We are also surveying and recording ecosystems and habitats present on campus whilst identifying how these can be enhances and what species would most likely or are already present within the various ecosystems.
Hedgehogs
In June 2025, we deployed five hedgehog tracking tunnels in different locations across campus for four nights to determine if we had any hedgehogs in the habitats present across our estate.
We recorded hedgehog prints in two tunnel locations every night that the tunnels were deployed and recorded these findings on The Big Hedgehog Map that is available on Hedgehog Street.
Please contact the British Hedgehog Preservation Society if you are worried about a hedgehog.
Pollinators
We will be conducting a BioBlitz this summer with our School of Natural and Environmental Sciences to record as many different species as possible, including pollinators that are located within the Drummond Quad. Keep an eye out on our events page to find out how colleagues, students and the local community can join in.
Biodiversity is all the different kinds of life you’ll find in one area—the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and even microorganisms like bacteria that make up our natural world.
Grounds Team
We work with a variety of teams in Estates and Facilities, including the Grounds Team to protect and enhance biodiversity on campus, which includes both plants and animals.
We have a variety of ecosystems and habitats present on campus, some of which are naturally occurring, some are manmade. We work with the Grounds Team to ensure these ecosystems and habitats are protected and enhanced where possible, alongside any species that may be present within them.
Bat boxes and barns
Bats don't mind built-up urban areas, but they do need safe spaces for roosting. We have installed 2 large-scale bat barns and almost 50 bat boxes across our city centre campus to support the local Common and Soprano Pipistrelle bats that hunt and roost on our campus and in the surrounding parks.
Tree Management
Trees are complex organisms that are fundamental to many ecosystems globally, they provide a wide array of benefits, such as offering important habitats for species including birds and bats. Trees require monitoring and management to ensure that their natural processes of growing and shedding does not pose a risk to people or property.
We have a wide variety of trees planted on campus, below are some examples:
- Crab Apple
- Rowan
- Silver Birch
- Wild Cherry
Pollinator friendly planting
Newcastle University is taking action to provide habitats for pollinating insects. We have planted several unused areas of our estate as pollinator gardens, to provide sources of nectar and pollen as well as suitable nesting habitats.
We have a range of flowers with differing petal shapes (attracting a range of insects) and a succession of flowering times so insects have a nectar resource throughout the year.
Plant list of species used in our Robinson Library pollinator garden (PDF: 228KB).
Find out more
- EAUC Biodiversity guide for colleges and universities (colleagues and students can register for free membership).
- ERIC North East - Environmental Records Information Centre for the North East of England. Working with wildlife recording groups and individuals to collate environmental data used to inform nature conservation.
- Natural History Society of Northumbria - promoting and encouraging the study of natural history, protecting the flora and fauna in the North East of England, and caring for and extending their library and collections at the Great North Museum: Hancock.
- Northumberland Wildlife Trust - the leading charity dedicated to nature conservation and environmental education within Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland.
- Ouseburn Farm - a green oasis in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. A community-led project located in the Lower Ouseburn Valley which allows people to get up close to animals, explore the fields, woods and ponds, and stroll around the garden.
- RSPB – one of the largest wildlife conservation organisations in Europe. The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten our environment.
- The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) – a charity dedicated to preserving hedgehogs native to the United Kingdom.
- Newcastle University Bee Society – membership (only available to current students) offers access to beekeeping opportunities on campus, educational workshops, and community events.
- Go Volunteer – The volunteering programme at Newcastle University Students’ Union hosts a range of sustainability focused opportunities from a variety of organisations. Examples include roles focused on urban farming, protecting city parks, and preserving the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
