By Maria Trabjerg Ulsøe, AAU Campus Services

When you take a walk on the campus in Aalborg East, you can 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 inside, providing good hiding places for bugs and insects. Additionally, a large brushwood fence has been built in the western part of the campus to provide good living conditions for both small and larger animals.

New Flowers and Control of Invasive Species 

The gardening department has developed a new perennial flower mix that fits exactly the type of soil and ecosystem on the campus in Aalborg East. The new flower mix replaces the annual mix and only needs to be sown every 3-4 years. This gives the areas more stability and allows the gardeners to work on other exciting projects.

AAU’s dedicated gardeners have another important task. Aalborg University is legally obligated to combat invasive plant species and adheres to the guidelines set by the Danish ministry og environment and gender equality. The control of giant hogweed must ensure that each plant dies and the populations are eradicated. In areas with large populations or where seeds have been produced for several years, control efforts must be carried out over multiple years. AAU is required to ensure that the control measures prevent any further spread of the plant during the intervention period, meaning the plant must not be allowed to produce seeds. The university gartners combat Giant Hogweed by either cutting them before the seeds mature or, if they are small plants, by digging them up and removing the top of the plant. All weed control at Aalborg University – including the control of invasive species – is done without pesticides. AAU has had a total ban on the use of pesticides for the last approximately 10 years to protect biodiversity and groundwater.

Living Lab and Endangered Species 

The nearly 100,000 sqm of biodiversity 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 Chemistry and Biosciences studied species diversity in a comparative study, counting insects on the university’s areas and comparing them with ‘regular lawns’. Currently, master’s students are investigating the distribution of insects, snails, and spiders on AAU’s areas. Campus Service aims to conduct an annual thorough inventory of biodiversity in the future, with a particular focus on endangered plant and animal species on the Danish Red List. By collecting this valuable data, initiatives can be targeted at specific species, and efforts can be evaluated more accurately. These initiatives are part of AAU’s climate plan and future climate adaptation and biodiversity plan.

Conservation and Restoration 

The campus area in Aalborg East is undergoing rapid development with the construction of new buildings and the establishment of a plusbus route. All construction projects take into account the ecosystems around the buildings, ensuring that it is standard practice in construction projects to restore the green areas. For example, during the major redevelopment of the lake and canal area, where it was necessary to fell some trees, the university chose to plant twice as many new trees.

Furthermore, new buildings are designed to integrate naturally with the surrounding environment. The new AAU Innovate building is a good example. It is constructed from organic materials and designed to create a connection between the indoor and outdoor environment, incorporating the lake into the architecture. The roof is covered with sedum, which can relieve downpipes and sewers by absorbing about half of the rainwater, providing a green and living roof. The university also manages a forest area. The high forest is thinned regularly to give space to large, healthy trees. The undergrowth, a mix of self-seeded trees and smaller bushes, is cleared every other year. Dead branches and self-felled trees are left to contribute to biodiversity.

On the main campus in Aalborg East, a significant renovation of the existing rainwater system has been carried out in recent years, so it is now climate-proof to handle 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 to the area’s biodiversity and recreational value through the planting of a meandering stream with wild bushes, trees, and flower meadows/biodiversity areas. Read more about the project here.

The biodiversity areas project and the restoration of natural ecosystems for more biodiversity are carried out in close collaboration with other local actors, such as housing associations. Additionally, AAU shares knowledge about sustainable management of outdoor areas with other public and private stakeholders with the ambition to increase biodiversity both at AAU and throughout the country.

Falcons as a valuable part of the ecosystem

Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are one of the university’s goals in its climate plan The university’s outdoor areas and insect hotels provide habitats for various species of plants and animals. Nest boxes have been installed for peregrine falcons, which were once extinct in Denmark but have now returned as a breeding bird and are classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The hope is that the peregrine falcon will settle on the university grounds, creating a better balance in the ecosystem by reducing the number of gulls.

A graduate student in Biology at AAU is monitoring insect biodiversity on campus grounds. The study employs three methods: Pitfall traps, flight traps, and light traps for moths. Moths are particularly good bioindicators and will help us understand how we can make habitats for endangered species.

These examples illustrate AAU’s commitment to supporting and conserving endangered species through its biodiversity initiatives

AAU’s Commitment to SDG 15 Aalborg University takes responsibility for SDG 15 in several ways:

• Biodiversity Areas: Managing nearly 100,000 sqm of land to support various plant and animal species.
• Invasive Species Control: Using pesticide-free methods to combat invasive species and protect native ecosystems.
• Living Lab: Providing a research platform for students to study biodiversity and ecosystem management.
• Sustainable Landscaping: Developing perennial flower mixes that fit local ecosystems, reducing the need for frequent replanting.
• Forest Management: Regularly thinning forests to promote healthy tree growth and maintaining undergrowth to support biodiversity.
  Climate Adaptation Projects: Implementing projects to climate-proof the campus and enhance biodiversity.
• Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Working with local actors and sharing sustainable practices to promote biodiversity conservation.