Sustainable Development Goal 15 focuses on protecting, restoring and sustainably managing terrestrial ecosystems, halting biodiversity loss, combating desertification and ensuring that natural environments continue to support both people and wildlife.
At a time when species populations are declining globally and ecosystems face growing pressures from climate change, pollution, habitat loss and unsustainable resource use, protecting life on land has become one of the defining environmental challenges of our age.
ARU’s campuses are located within some of England's most distinctive and environmentally significant landscapes, including the agricultural, riverine and coastal environments of the East of England. From the chalk grasslands and farmlands surrounding ARU in Writtle, to the internationally important estuaries and wetlands of Essex, these landscapes support biodiversity, provide ecosystem services and underpin regional food systems and livelihoods. Protecting and restoring these environments is essential for climate resilience, food security, public wellbeing and sustainable development.
Our researchers are investigating some of the most pressing threats facing terrestrial ecosystems, including plastic pollution, biodiversity loss, wildlife responses to climate change and the sustainability of food and farming systems. Through these and other initiatives, we're helping generate the knowledge, skills and partnerships needed to safeguard biodiversity and restore ecosystems locally and globally.
See how research at ARU is helping to protect nature, with expertise spanning biodiversity conservation, wildlife ecology, sustainable agriculture, pollution, climate adaptation and ecosystem resilience.
Our students' learning stretches from specialist degrees in ecology, wildlife conservation, agriculture and horticulture to interdisciplinary sustainability education available across ARU.
Across ARU's campuses, we aim to protect and enhance habitats, create space for wildlife and ensure that development does not come at the expense of nature.
Through citizen science, community engagement, knowledge exchange and policy influence, we're helping people understand the pressures facing nature and take part in protecting and restoring it.
Last updated: October 2026
To request additions, corrections or changes to the information in these pages, please contact: Dr Zareen Bharucha: [email protected]. Please use the subject line ‘ARU SDG’.