Shenmin Liu & Lily Robinson

There are over 3,000 colleges and universities in China, many with expansive urban campuses. But not all of these acres are concrete and brick, or even quads and athletic fields. Increasingly, students and faculty are using their campuses for a less traditional purpose: biodiversity conservation.  

A history of voluntary investment in campus biodiversity can lay the groundwork for later initiatives 

Peking University, located in Beijing’s Haidian subdistrict, was one of the first higher education institutions to begin experimenting with this pairing of student life and stewardship. In 2002, its faculty and students began conducting surveys of birds, fish, mammals, plants, and insects on the 274-hectare (about 677-acre) campus. By 2009, they gained support from the University’s Center for Nature Conservation and Social Development. Additionally, Peking’s Green Life Association—a student club focused on nature observation, popularization of science, and ecological protection—began systematic bird monitoring and phenology observations.  

Formal support for ecology research helped pass a proposal for a campus protected area 

This work continued to fascinate the campus community, generating both hands-on learning opportunities and insightful biodiversity data. Seeing that, the university decided to take a further step. In 2018, it established the Peking University Yanyuan Nature Reserve. The 50-hectare (about 124-acre) reserve had two defined objectives. First, it aimed to increase public welfare by protecting public access to nature in an otherwise urban environment. Second, it would serve as a space for rigorous scientific research. In particular, it aimed to promote in-depth and meticulous research methods and monitoring of biodiversity conservation in densely populated areas. 

Today, students and faculty continue to lead this work. They have voluntarily taken on a central role in stewarding and managing the reserve and carrying on the monitoring and research that had been enriching the campus community for decades.  

Careful planning enabled the reserve to fit right in within the greater campus 

It was important to the university that the nature reserve harmonized with the aesthetic of the main campus, which is composed of traditional Chinese gardens that date back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It gave its landscape architects explicit instructions to preserve the school’s original topography and landscape in the design of the reserve. 

In the end, the Yanyuan reserve aligned with these visual goals but also reflected a deeper connection with Chinese garden traditions. Toward the second half of the Ming Dynasty, scholars’ gardens became popular among the upper echelons of society. These spaces served as tranquil areas for scholarship, relaxation, and human connection. Far from separating people from biodiversity, they were often used to host gatherings that brought people into close contact with the scenery. The Yanyaun reserve serves as a similar kind of scholarly oasis. It allows learning to spill out of four-walled classrooms and into nature. Importantly—and in contrast to traditional scholars’ gardens—the Peking University reserve is open to the public, ensuring wide access to its resources.  

The reserve’s urban location does not limit its biodiversity 

Years of environmental monitoring have proven that the Yanyuan reserve is uniquely well situated to promote ecological well-being. Despite its urban location, its biodiversity is highly representative of the nation’s flora and fauna. As of 2025, it is home to 840 animal species and 673 plant species, including two Class I and three Class II protected species of birds. 

A collaborative and open-armed approach to management means there are always helping hands 

The Association for Green Life—led by a professor and composed of students—is the leading stewardship organization for the reserve. It conducts regular monitoring to track biodiversity and collaborates with university authorities to create enabling conditions for native species to thrive. For example, an agreement to turn off lighting placed under the eaves of ancient buildings has supported healthy breeding for house swifts, a species of small bird that is common across Japan, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. The group also records the presence of wild mammals on campus, works with the Peking University Cat Association to track cases of stray cats preying on birds, and regularly conducts plant patrols and bird and nocturnal wildlife surveys.  

The university community also encourages the public to play a role in the reserve’s activities and outcomes. The Association for Green Life shares its findings through platforms like WeChat and hosts regular photography contests and science lectures. In complement with this, the Peking University Youth Volunteers Association created educational resources to help guide visitors’ curiosity, promoting the reserve as a resource for organic, self-led learning and connection to nature. 

Its impact is spreading far from the borders of the reserve 

Word of the reserve’s success has spread. Once the nation’s lone example of campus conservation, the Yanyuan reserve has inspired myriad similar initiatives across China. Following Peking University’s example, faculty and students from Zhejiang University, Xiamen University and many others have started their own conservation initiatives. Each university’s student organizations develop unique characteristics and expertise. These are dependent on campus environments, resource allocation, and regional disparities between northern and southern China. However, each takes advantage of universities’ rich resources and favorable conditions for promoting urban biodiversity and inspiring a new generation of conservationists.  

On May 22, 2024—International Biodiversity Day—students from 12 universities across China called on their peers to further this work. They drew on the Convention on Biological Diversity’s recognition of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures as viable tools to achieving 30×30 goals, and proposed a network of campus nature reserves that could play a significant role in achieving China’s commitments to global biodiversity conservation targets.  

This article is based on research that ILCN Regional Representative for Asia, Shenmin Liu, conducted for a presentation at the International Symposium on Urban Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. The event was hosted by the Biodiversity Committee of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and multiple Asian universities and research institutions from February 19-20, 2025, in Xianmen, China. It brought together experts from across Asia to discuss environmental challenges faced by urban ecosystems and to propose actionable solutions.