EVALUATING THE USE OF INTERVARSITY BIOBLITZ AS AN ENGAGEMENT AND REPORTING TOOL FOR BIODIVERSITY IN GREEN AND BLUE SPACES ON URBAN CAMPUSES: A CASE STUDY OF IRISH UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

University campuses contribute substantially to urban green and blue infrastructure and are habitats for biodiversity in urban environments. Higher education institutions bear responsibility to conserve biodiversity and enhance the ecological value of their green and blue spaces, thereby educating about the importance of biodiversity in a sustainable society.This paper is a retrospective formative evaluation charting Intervarsity BioBlitz (a cross-institutional biodiversity recording competition) in higher education institutes in Ireland. Intervarsity BioBlitz enabled academic institutions to form and monitor biodiversity inventories for green and blue spaces on campus, map records into GIS layers, and promote campus biodiversity with the student body and management. Intervarsity BioBlitz offered an engaging and interactive means of quantifying campus biodiversity while also educating staff, students, and the wider community about biodiversity and connecting them to nature. It became a valuable tool for sustainability reporting in the higher education institution sector contributing to national and international biodiversity monitoring. Embedding Intervarsity BioBlitz with existing sustainability initiatives further enhanced performance and informed the delivery of action plans. Higher education institutes need to teach survey and identification skills, facilitate interest, awareness, and action to protect biodiversity. Biodiversity needs to become more prominent in international higher education sustainability metrics if we are to adequately address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.