Biodiversity on UZH sites

In the 2030 Implementation Strategy for the Sustainability Policy, UZH has set itself the goal of maintaining its sites in accordance with the criteria of high and site-appropriate biodiversity. To this end, the Executive Board of the university has adopted the “Guidelines on Biodiversity on UZH Sites”. Its primary aim is to promote the biodiversity of plants and animals and to protect ecosystem functions and processes of the areas used by UZH. It sets out general guidelines that apply both to maintenance by UZH employees and by contracted third parties. Important topics include the enhancement of lawns, the use of our own compost as fertilizer, green roofs and the construction of shelters and nesting aids.
Guideline Biodiversity on UZH Sites (PDF, 176 KB) (German)

A working group at UZH, founded in 2023 and consisting of administrative and technical staff, researchers, lecturers from the biodiversity degree program and former members of the university, has set itself the goal of bringing together and harmonizing the biodiversity data previously collected by various offices and individuals. The focus is currently on the Irchelpark.

Contact

Linde Warland
write an email to Linde Warland

UZH's Irchelpark is a near-natural landscape park that is home to indigenous plant and animal species and is listed in the Inventory of Swiss Sites worthy of Protection (ISOS) as an outstanding park of national importance. The preservation and improvement of biodiversity are important components of the maintenance and further development of Irchelpark in coordination with Grün Stadt Zürich. This includes, among other things:

• Analysis and maintenance: The species present in a habitat are analyzed and targeted maintenance measures are defined.
• Promotion of small and large structures: To provide habitats for reptiles and other specialized animal species, piles of branches and stones, sand lenses, dry stone walls and rootstocks are created.
• Enhancement of wild hedges: Targeted promotion of thorn bushes creates a high level of species diversity within the hedgerows.
• Promotion of ruderal areas and semi-arid grasslands: Species-poor meadow areas are transformed into species-rich flowering meadows through the transfer of mowed material, targeted maintenance cuts and the use of special plant species. Ruderal areas are preserved and promoted through targeted measures.
• Preservation of old grass stripes: Stripes of old grass are left standing over the winter to create refuges for insects and small animals.
• Maintenance of softwood and hardwood floodplains: Targeted maintenance cuts and staggered pruning of reeds promote and protect breeding areas for riparian birds.

As part of the Irchel area management, the level of biodiversity on the Irchel campus was determined in an ecological inventory together with the municipal authorities. This revealed that the campus has a high ecological value. To maintain this value despite major construction activities, ecological replacement measures must be planned for every new construction project. This is done in collaboration with external experts and planners as well as Grün Stadt Zürich. A review of the degree of biodiversity is carried out for every major construction project and regularly every five years in an overall assessment.

The Irchel Nature Trail informs park visitors about biodiversity in Irchelpark on 20 information boards.
Irchel Nature Trail (German)

The Green4Clim project has been running on the Irchel campus since 2024. It uses the campus as a real-world laboratory and aims to research the effects of vegetation management on CO₂ sequestration and the energy consumption of buildings.
more about the Green4Clim project and other projects that use UZH as a real laboratory

The Botanical Garden is home to over 7 000 different plant species from various geographical regions on its 71 000 square meters (56 000 square meters New Botanical Garden in Seefeld and 15 000 square meters Old Botanical Garden in the city center). Visitors can learn about biodiversity on information boards or in courses and guided tours. The garden is kept as natural as possible, for example by using beneficial insects instead of pesticides and by building corridors for animals. The Botanical Garden's nursery has developed a biodiversity concept for 2022; the Guidelines on Biodiversity on UZH Sites  (see download at the top of this page) apply as well. Various biodiversity-promoting measures are implemented at the Botanic Garden. These include, for example:

• propagating endangered plants to preserve wild populations (in cooperation with the canton),
• protecting endangered plant species and the strengthening of their populations, e.g. Apium repens (creeping celery) and Typha minima (dwarf bulrush),
• creating shelters for reptiles and amphibians (deadwood hedges, dry stone walls) and bat boxes,
• creating a biotope for wild bees consisting of an open, sandy area for ground nesting bees, deadwood logs for other bee species and forage plants, as well as
• leaving a piece of trunk at least 3 meters high if a tree must be felled so that animals can nest there.

Botanical Garden