Biodiversity Week | 16-22 May
The 'International Biodiversity Day' was created to give the subject of biological diversity extra attention every year. Biodiversity is very important but is in danger almost everywhere. You often don't appreciate what you don't see. To enable students and staff to learn more about biodiversity and because this is an important theme for the University of Groningen, the Green Office is organizing a Biodiversity Week from 16 to 22 May!

What is Biodiversity?
Life on Earth has many variations. Whether it concerns the smallest bacteria, fungi and plants or the largest animals, the tropical rainforests or the Dutch meadows, every life form, every ecosystem and every genetic variation is unique and irreplaceable. We call this great diversity 'biodiversity'. Unfortunately, biodiversity and associated ecological values are under pressure because of human interference.
Biodiversity at the UG
The University of Groningen has the ambition to focus more on ecology and biodiversity. The ambition is to increase the biodiversity of UG sites by adopting a different management method, based on a target species policy. In practice you can think of waterways with (partly) natural banks and more flowery grassland with herbs for butterflies, bees, dragonflies and other insects. So-called fringes and mantles can be developed along forest edges as a foraging area for insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals and bats. There are not only oppportunities for biodiversity on the Zernike campus, but there also around the buildings in the city center!
Research on Biodiversity
Biodiversity is not only being explored in relation to UG building sites. Various UG researchers are also conducting research on this topic, including investigating the consequences of human activity on biodiversity, how new species emerge, and the mutual differences between animals or insects. Below, you can read more about a few of the studies conducted by these researchers.
Programme Biodiversity Week 2022
During Biodiversity Week you can join one of the informative and fun guided tours of the city center or Zernike.
Wednesday 18 May at 15:30 | Zernike campus, main entrance Nijenborgh 4
Friday 20 May at 15:30 | City center, main entrance Academy Building
The guided tour on the May 19 is unfortunately cancelled.
The tours are guided by ecologists from the Municipality of Groningen and last approximately one hour. Hiking shoes are recommended for the tour of the Zernike Campus!
Register quickly because the maximum group size is 15 people!
Biodiversity at Zernike
You might be surprised that many opportunities relating to ecology and biodiversity can be found on Zernike grounds. Would you like to know more about this? Watch the videos listed below or read more about our biodiversity policy.
Video credit: Douwe-Jan Schrale
Who's talking in the videos?
My name is Cathy Hermans. I am working for Terrain Management at the University of Groningen. In this department we are, among other things, working on the transition from traditional to sustainable and ecological terrain management within the University of Groningen. We do this by increasingly using machines on batteries instead of fossil fuels; by using sheep for maintenance of extensive grass management, pigs for combating invasive exotic plant species and by managing in a more phased manner (not mowing or sawing everything at once, but a part each time). I come from forest and nature management, have been retrained as a landscape gardener and have been a green, gray (pavement, etc.) and blue (water) developer for years.
Last modified: | 15 September 2022 12.29 p.m. |