The UMinho Biodiversity Plan aims to transform the Gualtar and Azurém campuses into living biodiversity laboratories, with the participation of the whole academic community. It seeks to enhance the ecological, social and educational value of the University’s green spaces by creating richer habitats and multifunctional green infrastructure, and by using the campus as a space for learning, research and citizen science.

The plan is led by the University of Minho, through USGCI (GQSSAS), in partnership with the Laboratório da Paisagem and CBMA – Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology. It has the support of the Rectorate and the involvement of students, academic staff, researchers and technical, administrative and management staff.

In 2026, the diagnostic baseline year, the BioEmbaixadores UMinho network was launched with the first BioBlitz on 21 May, and monitoring and awareness-raising activities were carried out with students. To date, 6,023 observations of 1,210 species have been recorded. Upcoming activities include a presentation session for the community (12 November 2026), the planting of native species and the installation of an insect hotel (25 November 2026), and work on a pond area, scheduled for March 2027. These actions will inform the biodiversity strategy for 2027–2029.

The plan is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals:

Get involved! Record your observations in the BioEmbaixadores UMinho project on iNaturalist.

Information about our 2026 biodiversity plan.