In this podcast, Gary discusses the importance of biodiversity in improving the health and wellbeing of the staff and students, as well as in bridging the ‘town and gown’ divide. Gary’s ideas for enhancing biodiversity are not limited to outdoor spaces. He highlights the potential of using the facades, roofs and also the interior areas of buildings. Gary hopes that the botanic gardens will make a comeback and discusses the approaches to enhance biodiversity from Switzerland, Germany and China. However, Gary points out that the challenge to implement such approaches requires working across the organisational silos within universities.
About Gary Grant
Gary is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. With more than 35 years of experience involving several hundred projects of ecological survey and assessment, environmental design and planning, biodiversity action planning, habitat creation, wetland restoration, urban greening, site design and management planning.