THE LÄND: Home to Europe's most species-rich university campus
University of Hohenheim wins the „ICA Biodiversity Challenge 2023“
A total of 2,087 animal and plant species were identified by biology students, experts and citizen scientists on the university campus between 22nd of May and 1st of July 2023. This makes the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart Europe´s most diverse campus followed by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) with 1,873 species and Belgium’s KU Leuven with 1,453 species. Besides that, the University of Hohenheim is home to over 8,000 types of plants which were not counted for the challenge because they were cultivated by humans.
The university’s biodiversity includes 63 different birds such as kingfisher or cuckoo, 15 types of dragonflies and 416 different species of beetles. Moreover, rare types can be found such as the triangle spider, the rhino beetle and a domestic wild orchid. A summary of all discovered species is listed on Observation.org.
About the “ICA Biodiversity Challenge”:
The “ICA (Association for European Life Science Universities) Biodiversity Challenge” took place for the first time this year. Its goal is to draw attention to species extension and to show the importance of biodiversity. 17 universities from 13 different European countries participated. The ICA is a network of over 50 European universities which address sustainability, biological diversity, environmental protection, and the development of rural areas.
Biodiversity is a high priority topic at the University of Hohenheim
It is no coincidence that the university in Stuttgart has won the challenge. It takes various measures to protect its biodiversity: For example, the meadows on the campus have been mown only twice a year for over two decades which has led to the growth of more wildflowers and survival of more insects. The university also established a lizard habitat and a gypsum hill which resembles a steppe landscape.
Moreover, the University of Hohenheim’s biological expertise is extraordinary. It offers various Bachelor´s and Master´s degrees in the fields of Agricultural and Natural Sciences such as Environmental Sciences. According to multiple rankings such as the NTU Ranking, the QS World Universities Ranking by Subject and the Best Global Universities Ranking, the University of Hohenheim is Germany’s No.1 in agricultural research, food and nutrition science.
Tip for international students:
The University of Hohenheim offers 13 Master programs in the field of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and three in Economics and Social Sciences which are entirely taught in English. You can either directly visit the university’s degree program overview or use our study search to find a degree program in the aforementioned study fields.
Tip for international researchers:
Looking for a research position or position as a professor at the University of Hohenheim? You can either use our job search where you can filter according to job offer language, discipline, position etc. or inform yourself directly at the University of Hohenheim’s job page.
Author: Janet Ghotoyian