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Our nature positive campus

How we maintain and nurture the living landscape of our campus for the benefit of our community, wildlife and the environment.

Our campus is not just a place for study and research, it’s also a living landscape, rich in biodiversity and carefully maintained to balance the needs of people, wildlife, and the environment.

Our Landscaping team manages the grounds to make sure they remain a beautiful, ecologically diverse place that everyone can enjoy.

Promoting biodiversity

Our Landscaping team manages and maintains different areas of the University campus to promote biodiversity.

We make sure to maintain the existing habitats and species we have rather than trying to introduce more that could unsettle the biodiversity that already exists here.

Throughout the grounds we have a number of wildflower meadows. These long-term wild areas are not mowed during the summer to create vital habitats for pollinators and birds. One survey recorded at least 27 insect species in the grasslands, which in turn attract finches and other wildlife. See what wildlife you can spot next time you’re walking around campus.

Another area where we enhance biodiversity is the natural pond. This pond is protected, and we follow a minimal maintenance plan to make sure the wildlife it attracts isn’t disturbed. The location of the pond is kept secret for the same reason.

Wildflowers growing in front of 10 East

Multi-purpose landscapes

Our campus is home to large areas of woodland that provide habitats for hedgehogs, birds, mammals and insects. We designed the woodland walk to provide a route you can follow to enjoy some of these natural features. Walking through the woodland is a great way to get some exercise, boost your wellbeing, reduce stress, and connect with nature, all without leaving campus.

To create the woodland walk, the Landscaping team thinned the canopy and felled trees to allow light to reach ground level. This allowed dormant bulbs like bluebells sitting under the soil to come through. The trees that were felled were turned into wood-chippings and recycled to create the paths.

The woodland walk connects directly with the popular Bath Skyline Walk, so it’s easy to enjoy these wonderful green spaces on the edge of the city.

The woodland walk on campus

Engaging our community

We encourage a sense of shared responsibility for our environment and want everyone to have the opportunity to contribute to our green spaces.

A group of students digging a hole to plant a tree.

University community groups often help to care for parts of our grounds throughout the year. If you’d like to get involved, have a look at:

Anyone in our community can arrange to do their own litter pick on campus by contacting the Landscaping team. Email Andrew Veale at amv20@bath.ac.uk

As a student, you can also join one of the SU V Team student volunteering societies. They have groups for V Eco, V Clean, V Parks, V Trees and V Wildlife, all of which offer opportunities for you to care for your environment both on campus and in the community.

For example, you could volunteer to:

  • plant bulbs and wildflowers in local parks
  • run litter picking sessions in your neighbourhood
  • maintain a neglected area of planting
  • arrange group discussions about the local environment to campaign for change

Our Community Garden

The Community Garden is the newest feature of our campus. Established in 2025, it was designed to provide our community with a space to meet new people, learn gardening skills, and boost mental health and wellbeing.

Built using recycled materials, the garden produces a variety of vegetables and herbs. We estimated there were around 15 different types in its first growing season. Some of the produce has been used in cookery classes, and the rest is enjoyed by those who tend the plots.

All staff and students can get involved with the Community Garden by emailing Liz Russell at ejr31@bath.ac.uk or Andrew Veale at amv20@bath.ac.uk

The lake

The central focal point of the grounds, and the one that makes our campus so recognisable, is our lake.

The lake is the perfect place to meet, relax and attend summer events.

River fish species like Carp, Rudd and Dace all live in the lake. You might spot bird species like Heron, Moorhen, Mallard and even Goldeneye Ducks. The Landscaping team constructed a floating island to provide safety for the ducks at night. They also manage the bulrushes to provide a nesting site for breeding ducks.

There’s even an SU Duck Society called DuckSoc, set up in honour of the ducks that roam our grounds.

A view of the lake on campus from a terrace.

Our gardens

Visit our gardens on campus for a quiet place to sit and be among nature.

Quaker Legacy Garden

As part of the Quakers' yearly meeting which was held here at the University of Bath in 2014, the 'Gathering of Friends' created a garden distinctive of the Quaker way, leaving a lasting gift for the enjoyment of staff, students and passers-by.

Visit the Quaker Garden behind Esther Parkin Residence.

Jubilee Garden

The Jubilee Garden was designed and created by Campus Infrastructure to commemorate 25 years of planting on the University’s Claverton Down site. Here you’ll find a rockery and seating area surrounded by a yew hedge.

Visit the Jubilee Garden in front of 4 East South.

Quiet Garden

You can find the Quiet Garden tucked behind 10 West and 8 West.

It consists of long herbaceous borders planted with flowers that bloom at different times throughout the year. A three-tiered seating arrangement is provided for quiet reflection.

Woodland Memorial Garden

You'll find the Woodland Memorial Garden on the North of campus on the boundary of an ancient, protected woodland called ‘The Copse’.

It's a dedicated area to reflect in a quiet, safe space. Come to the garden to sit and remember lost loved ones, and acknowledge the contribution they made to our lives.

Protecting trees

Trees are a major feature of our campus. Since the 1960s, the University has planted a wide range of species alongside its ancient perimeter trees, many of which are protected.

There are more than 1,200 individual trees and 330 groups of trees on campus. Among others, the species you can spot include varieties of:

  • Ash
  • Beech
  • Cedar
  • Chestnut
  • Cypress
  • Elder
  • Hawthorn
  • Hazel
  • Hornbeam
  • Oak
  • Pine
  • Silver Lime
  • Sycamore
  • Yew

You can follow a Tree Trail around our campus to discover the variety of trees that make our university grounds such a unique and inspiring place.

Our Landscape team conducts regular surveys to make sure our trees are in a healthy condition. Working in collaboration with the Tree Officer at Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES), we only remove trees if they are damaged.

Students walking past large trees and the fountain.

Committing to sustainable practices

We protect our grounds by recycling materials and limiting the use of chemicals.

A group of people sitting on tree stumps

Caring for our environment also means reducing any damage we could cause by maintaining the grounds.

For example, we use power brushing and strimming tools to avoid harm to animals and insects that could be caused by chemicals.

We also make sure nothing goes to waste. All campus green waste is recycled on site, returning to the land as compost or woodchip. Even the coffee grounds from our cafés are collected, with around 12 tonnes of coffee grounds used to enrich our soil each year.

Other ways we’ve reused materials include:

  • behind the Eastwood residences and at the Westwood Nursery, where we’ve repurposed felled tree stumps as natural seating
  • the stumpery between 6 West South and the lake, where parts of dead trees are left to provide a shady and moist environment for ferns, insects and small mammals
  • the rockeries beside the 6 West ramp and 10 West, where large pieces of limestone originally excavated from the site of the South buildings in the 1960s, were then laid in the 1970s to weather and attract wildlife

Find out more about our sustainable university

Sustainable Bath

Contact us

If you have any questions about sustainability at Bath, get in touch.