Conserving and enhancing biodiversity

The University of Sydney manages a large estate of Campuses: including rural, semi rural and urban properties with diverse communities of flora and fauna. The University aims to promote and conserve biodiversity and protect these communities.

Camden Campus is about 60km South West of Sydney. It host s extensive farms and research units that are used by agriculture and veterinary science students. The campus property extends to the Nepean River and riparian re-vegetation and protection work has been carried out.

The Crommelin Biological Research Station at Pearl Beach on the Central Coast has become a 'Land for Wildlife' partner with Department of Environment and Conservation. Land for Wildlife is a voluntary property registration scheme for landholders that supports landholders to manage areas of wildlife habitat on their property.
Half of the 3 acres of land at The Crommelin Research station is uncleared. It is bounded on two sides by the Brisbane Water National Park and is used by biology students undertaking fieldwork.

Arthursleigh is a historic working sheep and wheat station located near Goulburn. The station was bequeathed to the University in 1979 and has experienced severe land degradation and erosion. Arthursleigh is operated commercially, and is used for teaching and research in pasture agronomy, animal science and Wildlife Health and Population Management.
Students from the University of Sydney's Landcare Society and staff and students from the Faculty of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources have been replanting native vegetation on the property since 2001. Significant regrowth has occurred and new techniques of broad scale direct seeding conducted in conjunction with Greening Australia have proven successful.

May 2006 initiative

In May 20 students visited the property and planted 1500 trees as well as thousands of seeds from Greening Australia. March 2007 initiative

The annual tree planting weekend this year was at the last weekend of March Lecturer in Hydrology and Catchment Management, Willem Vervoot, who coordinates the weekend said: "We had about 25 students all up and 3 staff members from the Faculty.  We replanted last year's track (about 1200 trees planted) as most of those had succumbed to frost, maybe 10 - 15% survival. This has happened all over the southern table lands last year. It was mighty green, haven't seen it as good in years."

At Camperdown and Darlington Campuses over 2,000 trees are registered on a database managed by the Grounds staff, CIS. Some of the trees are classed as heritage like the famous Jacaranda tree in The Quadrangle courtyard.

While many areas of the University are planted with heritage type plants like azaleas and camellias, a number of sites around main campus have recently been mass planted with native plants. In the photo above the flowering gum next to the Mills Building.

Species are selected based on matching existing stock, availability, and local knowledge on what will survive and do well and what will not. These plantings are helping to reduce watering requirements and also attracting local native and other bird species.

	The Embankment on the north-east side of the Electrical Engineering Building (J03)
	Behind HK Ward Gymnasium (D08) near Oval No. 1.
	The Embankment in front of Edward Ford Building (A27) on Fisher Rd.