What flora and fauna thrive on the Netherlands’ greenest campus? An answer to this question is expected in the last week of June. On the afternoon of Friday, 24 June, and during the entire following day (Saturday, 25 June), groups of students and staff members led by experts will search the campus for plants, animals, birds and insects.
The Biodiversity Challenge is the first major event organised by the Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative (WBI) that was launched last year. The idea comes from Casper Quist (Biosystematics), says WBI founder Liesje Mommer. The event was to take place a year ago but was cancelled due to covid and the lockdown.
Higher
A small-scale stocktaking of the diversity on campus was conducted at the time, which yielded over 750 different species. Thus, the current ambition is to identify 1000 different species, says Mommer. ‘Excluding bacteria and soil fungi, otherwise, a spade full of soil would be sufficient to achieve the target.’
Biodiversity is in your immediate environment and not just something you can admire far away
Liesje Mommer, Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative
Some thirty guides will assist the groups in their tour of the campus. Each guide will lead a group of six across the campus for about two hours to look at the birds, bees, flowers and mammals and all other living things. The earliest expedition, a birding tour, starts at six in the morning on Saturday.
The stocktaking aims to instil a sense of ‘practice what you preach’, Mommer states. ‘Biodiversity is in your immediate environment and not just something you can admire far away. When we say we value biodiversity, we must ensure that the campus is green and offers a habitat for all manner of species. We want people to experience biodiversity.
No special skills or expertise is required. Mommer: ‘Quite the contrary. Anyone can join. If you have always wanted to know the name of that white flower with a green heart, you can ask. Moreover, the event offers students and staff an excellent opportunity to meet “in the wild”. Another reason to enjoy biodiversity.’
Bioblitz
Following the Saturday, inventorying will continue for a week on a dedicated page on the waarneming.nl webpage. This so-called Bioblitz includes WUR locations that are not on the campus.
Mommer hopes the challenge will become an annual event. ‘And, of course, I hope we will see an annual increase in biodiversity. Stopping biodiversity loss starts on our own campus.’
The Biodiversity Challenge will kick off on Friday at noon in Omnia. Rector Arthur Mol will open the challenge. In addition to the excursions, there are thirty-minute lectures by five well-known WUR experts as well as stands on WUR’s biodiversity research. Most excursions are Dutch spoken, but some are also in English. Participation is free, but registration is mandatory for logistical reasons. Family members and other campus inhabitants are also welcome on Saturday.
