Protecting biodiversity starts with how we manage the places in which we work, study and live. 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.
This commitment is embedded in our Biodiversity Net Gain Policy and wider sustainability approach, supported by an environmental management system certified to ISO 14001 since 2009. From restoring freshwater habitats and managing green spaces for wildlife to green roofs, biodiversity trails and species monitoring, our campuses provide opportunities to put ecological stewardship into practice.
Protecting biodiversity as our campuses develop
Our Biodiversity Net Gain Policy, established in 2017, provides a framework for balancing the operational needs of our campuses, including the development of new buildings and facilities, with our responsibility to nature. The policy is designed to ensure that the net biodiversity value of ARU's land is protected or enhanced, helping make biodiversity a consideration in decisions about the University's estate rather than an addition after development has taken place.
Restoring the River Chelmer Millpond
At our Chelmsford campus, environmental stewardship has delivered a tangible improvement to a local habitat. ARU restored the River Chelmer Millpond, work recognised with a Living Landscapes Award from Essex Wildlife Trust. The Millpond now forms part of the Chelmer Valley Heritage & Nature Trail, connecting the University's estate with the wider natural environment and providing an important example of campus management contributing directly to local habitat conservation.
Creating space for wildlife on our campuses
Not all biodiversity interventions need to be on a large scale. We manage designated green pockets on our campuses specifically to provide habitat for wildlife, alongside features including green roofs, a green wall, beehives and a bug hotel. Green roofs planted with sedum provide food and nesting material for small birds while retaining rainwater, and the Cambridge green wall increases the diversity of planting available to insects and birds. Together, these interventions help weave habitat into otherwise intensively used urban campuses.
Monitoring and celebrating campus wildlife
Understanding what lives alongside us is an important part of protecting it. We have established biodiversity trails at Cambridge and Chelmsford, enabling staff, students and visitors to explore habitats across the campuses. Staff and students can also report wildlife sightings through ARUgreen. Recorded sightings include red foxes, otters, grass snakes, slow worms, kingfishers, sparrowhawks and little egrets, helping connect the University community with the biodiversity present around our campuses.
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’.