Last updated: October 2021
The project is an initiative that is part of the environmental management system of the University of Murcia. This initiative aims to implement activities related to sustainable agricultural systems while also serving as a space for social cohesion for the members of the community (Ref 3). For this reason, a community garden was constructed and the slots are until 2019 distributed between members of the community of the university based on a bid (Ref 1).
Eco-Campus Gardens (Universidad de Murcia, 2020)
Source: Ref. 10
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Grey infrastructure featuring greens
- Institutional green space
- Community gardens and allotments
- Allotments
- Community gardens
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity conservation
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Environmental education
- Social cohesion
- Social interaction
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Project objectives
The goals of the project included (Ref 4):
- Learning to produce healthy food, under agroecological principles.
- Contribute to the biodiversity conservation, by cultivating and reproducing local varieties.
- Foster the learning of topics not included in the normal syllabus, including agroecology, food sovereignty and ecological economics.
- Promote associations and other forms of responsible and solidary participation.
- Encourage knowledge of geodiversity and geological heritage of the surroundings;
- Promote social and personal relations between users of different ages and cultures.
-Avoidance of GMO products on campus uses (ref 7).
-Increase the budget allocated to environmental management and restoration;
-Ecological restoration;
-Support green and forested areas;
Implementation activities
The project began in 2007, and in 2009 took place the inauguration of Sustainability Square and the Eco-Campus Garden.Since then the upkeep of parcels was done by the student community (ref 1). It will be the Project Director who will provide users with the necessary guidance to be able to develop this type of techniques and practices in an appropriate way.
Additionally, there is an annual lottery to distribute the slots (Ref 10).
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Create new habitats
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect native species
- Means for conservation governance
- Raise public awareness
- Public engagement
- Protect and apply traditional knowledge and conservation practices
Main beneficiaries
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Researchers/university
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
- Citizen oversight (e.g. boards, advisory)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The gardens are managed by its users through collective decisions with a general assembly (meets monthly) and actions will be taken by the Dynamics groups. (ref 5)
The larger project is managed by Vice-rector of Economy and Sustainability and Health Sciences, manager of access to planting plots.
Faculty of Biology contributes by conducting practices of the methods of capture, assembly, labelling and conservation of insects that can produce pests in organic crops. (ref 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(EcoManagement and Audit Scheme, regulation n761/2001 of the European Parliament and Council which allows organizations to join voluntarily to a system of community management and audit for environmental standards. (ref 7)
)
... a national policy or strategy?
Yes
(The Spanish Strategy for Air Quality was a tool in implementing the larger Sustainable Campus initiative, in order to contain emissions and improve air quality. (ref 7)
)
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The University’s Sustainable Campus initiative is shaped in standards by the international ISO 14001:2004. This system “specifies requirements for an environmental management system to enable an organization to develop and implement a policy and objectives which take into account legal requirements and other requirements to which the organization subscribes, and information about significant environmental aspects.” (ref 3 and 4)
)
Financing
Total cost
Less than €10,000
Source(s) of funding
- Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Type of funding
- Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased appreciation for natural spaces
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts, Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Bases reguladoras de los Huertos Ecologicos “Eco-Campus”. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
2. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Criterios Ambientales. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
3. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Campus Sostenible: Presentacion. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
4. International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2004). ISO 14001:2004. Murcia: ISO. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
5. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Huerto Ecologico Comunitario de la Universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
6. Universidad de Malaga. (2016). Proyecto “Del Campus al Source link. Málaga: Universidad de Málaga. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
7. Egea Fernández JM, Egea Sánchez JM, Molina E. (2014). Tejiendo un aula agroecológica en la universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Agroecología. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
8. Universidad de Murcia. (n.d). Propuestas ambientales de futuro sostenible para la Universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Agroecología. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
9. Finalay, J. and Massey, J. (2012). Eco-campus: Applying the ecocity model to develop green university and college campuses. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 13 Iss 2, p 150-165. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
10. Universidad de Murcia. (2020). Huerto Eco-Campus. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
2. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Criterios Ambientales. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
3. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Campus Sostenible: Presentacion. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
4. International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2004). ISO 14001:2004. Murcia: ISO. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
5. Universidad de Murcia. (2017). Huerto Ecologico Comunitario de la Universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020)
6. Universidad de Malaga. (2016). Proyecto “Del Campus al Source link. Málaga: Universidad de Málaga. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
7. Egea Fernández JM, Egea Sánchez JM, Molina E. (2014). Tejiendo un aula agroecológica en la universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Agroecología. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
8. Universidad de Murcia. (n.d). Propuestas ambientales de futuro sostenible para la Universidad de Murcia. Murcia: Agroecología. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
9. Finalay, J. and Massey, J. (2012). Eco-campus: Applying the ecocity model to develop green university and college campuses. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 13 Iss 2, p 150-165. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).
10. Universidad de Murcia. (2020). Huerto Eco-Campus. Available at: Source link (Accessed 1 August 2020).