Biodiversity Week 2019 – 18 – 26 May

Posted on: 20 May 2019

It’s Biodiversity Week from 18 – 26 May, and with that in mind there have been many improvements made around campus and plans to continue this great work.

Here are some highlights you may notice,

Swift calls will be installed in the Museum building by PhD student Jamie Rohu, these migratory birds annually retuned to campus to nest and breed in the crevices of the building’s eves. Unfortunately, their nesting routine was disturbed by the delayed works to the building in 2010 and they have not returned in the same numbers. This year it is planned to install calls to encourage the birds to return and nest successfully, which is of vital importance as these birds, a once common sight in our summer skies, are on the amber endangered list.

Speaking of a bird species you might find to be very common to life on campus, the seagull. These birds could be said to dominate your sunny lunchtime sojourn on College Park. Notable for stealing sandwiches and squawking through your phone calls, you might wonder why they have come inland to make themselves known. Unfortunately they are being driven from the seashores by rats, who feed on rubbish and attack gull chicks. If that wasn’t reason enough, as we are overfishing it is increasingly difficult for gulls to catch lunch. In an effort to gain safety and food, your lunch being vastly easier to catch than fish these days, they have come inland to our parks and gardens. However, please don’t shoo them, as they too are on the amber endangered list.

Pollinators are incredibly important to our economy, our health and the planet as a whole. The Trinity Campus Polinator Plan has been in place since 2016, you can follow @CampusBuzzTCD on twitter or sign up to their mailing list to keep updated. You may have noted over the last while our colleagues in Estates & Facilities have been replanting the herbaceous boarders and creating wildflower gardens around the campus and there are more improvements still to come.

The area alongside the GMB has been replanted with a broad range of perennial herbaceous species; all with long flowering periods. Many new pollinator and wildlife friendly shrubs and climbers have been planted in the bike park, around the catering building complex to entice and supply pollinators with a better variety of pollen and flowers to choose from.

Wild flower planting around College Park has been diversified with the decision to install wild flower turf with enhanced plant diversity in the triangular area between the top end of College Park and the Rugby Pitch known as the “Flat Iron” area.

Two other areas nearby are also going to have wildflower turf mixture installed, replacing the poorly growing grass. Of necessity, some of the trees in those areas have been carefully pruned so as to allow enough light to reach the turf.
About 60 m2 of clover lawns which are excellent for pollinators have been, with great care and attention re-established between the Fitzgerald Building and the Botany Department.

The Chief Steward’s garden has been renovated. The hedging has been replaced, with new hedging which is pollinator friendly. This has a very long flowering period and will, as it matures, offer substantial new opportunities for nesting birds. A number of new pollinator friendly tree saplings of various species, including some that are unusual and some that were gifted to Trinity, have been planted. These will dramatically improve the habitat diversity of the area. Of course, the area is best known for the biodiversity pond, and while it is protected from the public, it provides sanctuary to many native species and even the occasional frog family.

Even our buildings are getting in on the act.

The green roofs initiative has seen green sedum-planted roofs created around campus. These not only slow down the flood of rain water from building roofs, but also provide habitat for beneficial insects and birds. There are green sedum-planted roofs on the Long Room Hub, Lecky library, Health Centre, and Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute.

Our newest building, Trinity Business School, has installed the most remarkable living wall which will provide home and sustenance to many bird and pollinator species on one of the capitals busiest roads.

One of the internal gardens in the Arts Building (Level 5) has a planned development over the Summer as part of the Bursar’s drive to enhance the Arts Building.

The O’Reilly atrium has now reverted to its original function as a quiet, restful area for people in the immediately adjacent departments. The scheme, devised by the gardening team lead in Estates & Facilities will bring many benefits known to occur with indoor planting such as reducing dust levels, moderating temperatures and reducing levels of certain pollutants, a very welcome endeavour.

For all these improvements to the health and welfare of plants and species around campus, us humans have not been left out. As part of the Provost’s sustainability initiative water fountains will be installed in Library Square, Fellows’ Square and near the Pavilion bar. So just like the pollinators who can refuel on a diverse range of pollen, we can replenish our water bottles freely and cut out on single use plastic.