Courses to connect students with campus wildlife

Training will be available on the Easter Bush campus to build skills in nature awareness, wildlife tracking and conservation.

A series of three courses aims to teach nature and ecosystem awareness and associated skills related to wildlife biology and conservation. This will improve our understanding of the species and wider biodiversity present on Easter Bush Campus, where the Royal (School) of Veterinary Studies is based.

Participants will learn to be more mindful of the wider ecosystem and of the biodiversity on campus as well as how to identify wildlife tracks, signs and bird calls, to set up camera traps, and to map existing species.

Lessons learned from the courses will help us better understand how to care for and steward the campus environment and the wildlife it sustains.

The initiative will be supported by a £3,240 Student Experience Grant funded by donations to the University of Edinburgh.

Awareness raising for stewardship

The weekend courses will be delivered by renowned environmental educator Dan Puplett with the support of the School own professional wilderness guide Dr Glen Cousquer, over three semesters, starting in the autumn.

The courses will teach methods of gathering data on wildlife and practices to connect with nature, which are valuable to both personal wellbeing and professional development, the organisers say.

Ecological findings and data collected could be used by the Landscape Team to adapt and evolve management of the campus to the benefit of both wildlife and students.

Findings will also be used to complement other campus initiatives, such as tree planting and monitoring of hedgehogs and raptors.

 

This course series will connect participants with nature on our campus. We hope the courses will encourage better practices in sustainability as well as improve mental health.

Paul Gogerty

student in Veterinary Medicine, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

 

I have worked with Dan Puplett and he has so much to teach us about Scotland’s wildlife. These courses will help students understand better the patients they will be treating in their careers, as well as the challenges we face in conservation, One Health and ecosystem collapse. We hope this will encourage them to pursue their own solutions to these global problems in whatever career paths they choose to pursue.

 Dr Glen Cousquer

Lecturer and Programme Coordinator (MVetSci in Conservation Medicine and MSc One Health), Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

 

About the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is a one-of-a-kind centre of excellence in clinical activity, teaching and research. Our purpose-built campus, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pentland Hills Regional Park, is home to more than eight hundred staff and almost fourteen hundred students, all of whom contribute to our exceptional community ethos.

The School comprises:

The Roslin Institute

The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security

The Roslin Innovation Centre

The Hospital for Small Animals

Equine Veterinary Services

Farm Animal Services

Easter Bush Pathology

The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education

We represent the largest concentration of animal science related expertise in Europe, impacting local, regional, national and international communities in terms of economic growth, the provision of clinical services and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Related links

Student Experience Grants

Hedgehog-Friendly Campus