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People and Nature Lab Rooftop Garden
The People and Nature Lab鈥檚 rooftop garden at 麻豆传媒视频网站 East, within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is a vibrant hub of ecological research and community engagement. This innovative space serves as a dynamic outdoor laboratory, where our staff conduct a myriad of experiments to understand how urbanisation impacts biodiversity. From studying the behaviour of pollinators to monitoring the health of native plant species, every corner of the garden presents an opportunity for discovery. Equipped with advanced sensors and monitoring systems, the garden studies urban biodiversity through various projects. Bat and bird acoustic sensors, a smart wasp nest enclosure, automated and traditional moth traps, and a weather station provide comprehensive data on wildlife activity and environmental conditions. The garden also features a wildflower meadow with 38 native species and a pond seeded with sediment from a restored 鈥済host pond鈥� in Norfolk, supporting diverse invertebrate and bird species. Soil moisture sensors and a flight tracker further enhance the research capabilities, while the design ensures flexibility for experiments, easy maintenance, and accessibility.
Beyond its role as a research facility, the rooftop garden serves as a hub for community engagement and education. Regular workshops, guided tours, and outreach events invite members of the public to learn about the importance of urban biodiversity and the role they can play in conservation efforts. Gardening workshops run by 麻豆传媒视频网站 East's Student Support and Wellbeing team, in collaboration with the People and Nature Lab, offer students a space to connect with nature and reduce stress. The Institute of Making鈥檚 pickle garden, providing produce for fermentation workshops, highlights sustainable food practices. This innovative space demonstrates the potential for urban green areas to support biodiversity and improve community health, showcasing a sustainable future for city environments.
Bat and bird acoustic sensors聽
The聽garden is equipped with sensors that monitor the surrounding soundscape for bird and bat activity. These sensors collect audio through an ultrasonic microphone and use deep learning algorithms to identify bird and bat calls, determining the species most likely to have made each call. Connected to the 麻豆传媒视频网站 Internet of Things (IoT) network, these sensors periodically update their detections, providing valuable data on urban wildlife
Automated moth monitoring
The garden features an automated monitoring platform (UKCEH AMI-trap) for long-term, autonomous monitoring of moths. This system combines lighting to attract insects with high-resolution cameras to capture images for biodiversity monitoring. The data collected helps track changes in moth populations over time.
Wasp nest environment sensor
A smart wasp enclosure monitors the environmental conditions of a wasp nest, including weight, temperature, humidity, acoustics, and vision. This setup helps researchers understand the living conditions and behaviour of wasps in an urban setting.
Weather station
A weather station collects microclimate data, including temperature, pressure, wind, and rain. This information supports various experiments in the garden by providing context for environmental conditions.
Traditional moth trap
In addition to the automated system, traditional moth traps are used once a week to study moth diversity and abundance. These traps have collected around 500 moths of 80 species over the year, providing a baseline for understanding moth populations prior to the landscaping and planting of the garden.
Flight tracker
An overhead flight tracker records air traffic, offering insights into the impact of urban noise and movement on local wildlife.
Pond water level sensor
This sensor monitors changes in the pond鈥檚 water level, crucial for maintaining the health of aquatic ecosystems within the garden.
Soil moisture sensor
Soil moisture levels are monitored to inform irrigation and watering requirements, ensuring that plants receive optimal hydration.
Wildflower meadow
The Wildflower Turf庐 meadow includes 38 native, mostly perennial, species chosen for their ability to thrive on rooftop gardens with minimal irrigation. This meadow supports a diversity of invertebrates and birds, enhancing urban biodiversity.
Pond
Seeded with sediment from a "ghost pond" in Norfolk, this pond provides a habitat for freshwater insects. The sediment was donated by Carl Sayer (麻豆传媒视频网站 Geography) and the Norfolk Ponds Project, aiding in the restoration of these valuable ecosystems.
Garden design
Designed as a flexible field experimental research and teaching lab, the garden meets several objectives: providing areas for ecological experiments, deploying sensor technologies to monitor biodiversity, ensuring easy maintenance, offering seating and teaching spaces, maximising native biodiversity, and meeting disability access requirements.
Insect habitats
The garden prioritises insect biodiversity by providing resources and nesting sites. The wildflower meadow offers nectar and pollen for bees, hoverflies, and butterflies, while bare ground and sandy substrates encourage ground-nesting insects. The pond supports freshwater insects like dragonflies and damselflies.
Wellbeing
The garden serves as a welcoming space for students to gather, with gardening workshops run by 麻豆传媒视频网站 East's Student Support and Wellbeing team in collaboration with the People and Nature Lab. These workshops highlight the mental health benefits of nature, such as reducing stress and increasing wellbeing.
Institute of Making, Pickle garden
A bed planted for the Institute of Making's Experimental Kitchen provides fresh produce for fermentation workshops. These workshops explore sustainable food practices, focusing on health, wellbeing, and the ecological benefits of brine-fermented foods.