Plant to Learn the vAlue of biodiversity iN healThcare (PLANT)
This project scales up an existing planting and education program ('Living Lab') for biodiversity at the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus.
Cluster
Healthy Country, Healthy Communities, Healthy People
Research partners
Project team
Dr Jessica Abbonizio (Lead CI, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences); Catherine O'Shea (CI, Healthcare Carbon Lab); Professor Forbes McGain (Research Associate, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences); Associate Professor Ken Winkel (Partner Investigator, School of Population and Global Health); Dr Gayathri Mekala (Partner Investigator, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences); Associate Professor Stuart Barber, (Partner Investigator, Melbourne Veterinary School); Dr Alexis Pang (Partner Investigator, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences); Rachael Miller (Partner Investigator, Business Services); Ainslie Macdonald (PhD Candidate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences); Andrew Irvin (Research Associate, Melbourne Centre for Cities).
Contact
Project summary
What if revegetation activities could simultaneously support student learning for biodiversity,appreciation of First Nations Peoples’ Traditional Ecological knowledges, and nature-positive campuses? This project will scale up an existing planting and education program ('Living Lab') for biodiversity at the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus. The project will invite students from the School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences (SAFES), and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (MDHS) in planting and education activities. We aim to enhance biodiversity across Dookie campus, explore its carbon sequestration potential, and support students to appreciate and champion biodiversity in their careers.
What are we interested in?
Through revegetation and education activities, this project aims to support students' appreciation of First Nations Peoples' Traditional Ecological Knowledges, biodiversity, wellbeing, health and carbon sequestration. The project responds to the intersection of global biodiversity and planetary health crises, exploring how universities can enhance carbon sequestration and biodiversity on campuses.
The goals of our project
This project will expand the Dookie Living Lab with additional revegetation and education activities across the Dookie campus Students will measure biodiversity data and calculate approximate carbon sequestration as plantings mature, showcasing Dookie as a model for nature-positive campuses. It will be insightful for students to discover just how much planting is required to approximately offset healthcare activities.
Outcomes / activities
Pivotal to this project is the interdisciplinary education and ecological activities co-created with local Dookie communities. The research will support the development of scholarly outputs and strengthened partnerships across Dookie and Parkville campuses.