Climate adaptation and biodiversity

The university is making its campuses future-proof with measures for climate adaptation and biodiversity. You can read in the Sustainability Implementation Agenda 2023–2026 how we harvest rainwater, limit heat stress and make more room for greenery.

Climate change

Heavy rainfall, long periods of drought and rising temperatures: the forecasts are very clear. Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) point out that in the coming decades we will be faced much more with extremes. We are structuring our campuses with a view to the future, with smart measures to prevent water damage, drought and heat stress. Water and greenery feature strongly on our campuses.

Open water with nature-friendly banks on the university campus on the Leiden Bio Science Park.

Green spaces and water reinforce each other

Plants and trees help provide a cooler environment and they need rainwater. We bring these two elements together on the Leiden Bio Science Park, where we still have plenty of room for development: we are adding more greenery and giving water space to infiltrate into the soil or into collection systems, rather than ebb away into the streets or drainage system. The excess rainwater can then be used to keep the green areas healthy. Open water with nature-friendly banks (gently sloping banks with riverside plants), channels, blue roofs and blue conduits store water and release it gradually in dry periods.

On the roofs, too, we encourage plants to grow. A mix of sedum plants is growing under and between the solar panels on the roof of the Snellius building.

Green in the city

It is also important in the city centre to anticipate a future with more heat and more flooding. This is particularly relevant in a paved environment that warms up more quickly and can take up less water. In developing the campus, we are extending the greenery of the Singelpark to the buildings. With every renovation project we add new greenery on and around the buildings so that the green network expands and becomes stronger.

The Herta Mohr building is a good example of future-oriented thinking. It has a roof that channels rainwater to an underground container and other water-retaining elements (buffer blocks). This benefits the varied planting on the square benefits in summer, which in turn provides cool shady areas and and evaporation via the leaves.

The square in front of Herta Mohr provides a cool environment thanks to the plant containers and the underground water collection system. The carefully chosen mix of plants provides food and protection for insects throughout the seasons.

Other smart measures to combat the heat on our campuses include the use of light, sun-repellent materials and the removal of wind barriers. The sustainable thermal energy storage system (heat and cold storage) in our buildings plays an important role: it cools the air without heating the environment, unlike traditional air-conditioning systems.

Strengthening biodiversity

Where possible, we combine climate-adaptive measures with opportunities for biodiversity. Biodiverse greenery goes further than just ornamental grasses and shrubs: It is about as broad as possible a variation in plants. This diversity makes the environment more resilient and more sustainable, because nature is able to maintain a better balance and because a rich palette of species attracts more animals and insects. The university promotes biodiversity with nature-friendly planting and the creation of habitats for insects and birds.

The façade of the facilities building has a relief structure which provides space for insects, birds and plants. At the top left is a bird house and at the lower centre is a drainpipe from the roof, allowing rainwater to drain into the ground.

Green-blue connections

The biggest opportunities are to be found on the yet to be developed parts of the Leiden Bio Science Park. Green and blue corridors will be created here, allowing animals to move around safely and ensuring that the landscape forms a single entity. Tree crowns will soon join up, creating a canopy, and flower- and herb-rich grasslands will form continuous zones that support specific species. The Green Ring around Leiden runs through the park and touches on various biodiversity hotspots, such as the old polder ditches with the rare flat disc horn, orchids along the tram line and various types of finger moss.

Liveable campuses

Climate adaptation and biodiversity contribute not only to a sustainable living environment, but also to the well-being of students and staff. More greenery provides cooling, tranquillity and recuperation, and makes the campus a pleasant place to study, work and meet. In this way, we are working towards healthy, liveable university areas where people and nature are in balance.