by Maria Trabjerg, Campus Service

When you take a walk on campus in Aalborg East, you will be able to enjoy the many flowers and also see that 10 insect hotels have been set up around the green areas. The insect hotels are small 'wooden houses' with different materials in them, which provide crawls and crawls good hiding places. In addition, a large quass fence has been built in the western part of the campus, which will provide both the very small and the slightly larger animals with good living conditions.

New flowers and control of invasive species

The horticultural department has developed a new perennial flower mix that fits exactly to the type of soil and ecosystem on campus in Aalborg East. The new flower mix replaces the annual blend, and only needs to be sown every 3-4 years. It gives the areas more peace and at the same time gives the gardeners the opportunity to work on other exciting projects.

AAU's tenacious gardeners have another important task. They fight invasive species that can cause problems for the Danish nature. We fight hogweed by either shielding them before the seeds ripen. If these are small plants, then we root them and remove the top of the plant. All weed control at Aalborg University – including control of invasive species – takes place as pesticide-free control. AAU has had a total ban on the use of pesticides for the past 10 years for reasons of biodiversity and protection of groundwater.

Living lab and endangered species

The almost 100,000 sqm. rewilding areas at AAU function as a Living Lab, where students can use the areas as a laboratory and research issues that fit into their semester project. In the spring semester of 2023, two project groups from the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences examined species diversity in a comparative study in which they counted insects on university land and compared them with 'ordinary lawn'. At the time of writing, thesis students are investigating the spread of insects, snails and spiders on AAU's grounds.  It is a wish of Campus Service in the future to carry out an annual thorough inventory of biodiversity with special focus on endangered plant and animal species on the Danish Red List. By collecting this valuable data, initiatives can target specific species and interventions can be evaluated more accurately. These initiatives are part of AAU's climate plan and future climate protection and biodiversity plan.

Conservation and restoration

The campus area in Aalborg East is undergoing rapid development with the construction of new buildings and the construction of a plusbus route. In all construction projects, ecosystems around buildings are taken into account, and this is ensured, among other things, by the fact that it is standard practice in the construction projects to re-establish the green areas. An example is the major rearrangement of the lake and canal area, where it was necessary to cut down some trees. Here, the university chose to plant twice as many new trees.

In addition, the aim is to ensure that new buildings are a natural part of the surrounding environment. The new AAU Innovate building is a good example of this. It is built in organic materials and designed to create a connection between indoor and outdoor environment and to include the lake in the architecture. On the roof, a sedum roof has been laid, which can relieve downpipes and sewers, as it absorbs about half of the rainwater and provides a green and vibrant roof. The university also has forest area. It's tall forest is thinned out in running to make room for the large and healthy trees. The undergrowth, which is a leafing of self-sown trees and smaller shrubs, is cleared every two years. Dead branches and self-felled trees are allowed to lie and contribute to biodiversity.

At the main campus in Aalborg East, a significant reconstruction of the existing stormwater system has been carried out in recent years, so that it is now climate-proof to cope with a 100-year rain event. The ambition of the project has been to ensure clear water in the lakes, better water quality in the recipients and a significant boost of the area's biodiversity and recreational value through the planting of a meandering stream with wild shrubs, trees and flower meadow/wild on purpose. Read more about the project here. 

Rewilding in numbers:

• Before conversion, grass was mowed on approximately 110,000 sqm
• 30,000 sqm. flower meadow (farmer mix DLF)
• 3,200 sqm. rewilding – where it just take care of itself        
• 11,500 sqm. other types of wild areas – e.g. lake and canal facilities, fallow land, etc.
• 17,400 sqm. sports lawn
• 5,600 ordinary lawn.
• 25,000 sqm. forrest
• Parking areas, roads and paths as well as outdoor living spaces adjacent to the buildings