Goal 15: Life on land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Working in partnership both locally and globally, we are tackling each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through our research and knowledge exchange, education and student experience, and through our operations. Discover how our unique commitments align with and support Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on land.

Research and impact

The University advances SDG 15 through long-term ecosystem experiments and practice-partnered research that inform conservation and land management (15.1, 15.3, 15.5, 15.9, 15.a). At Ness Botanic Gardens, one of Europe’s largest warming mesocosm facilities, 50 experimental ponds, is being used in a multi-year programme to test heatwave and rapid-change impacts on shallow freshwater systems, ecosystem functioning, and species adaptation (15.1, 15.5, 15.a). Ness also underpins sustainable food research via aquaponics (15.1, 15.a) and strengthens conservation baselines through its nationally significant living collections and taxonomic contributions (Betula, Sorbus, Hedera) that support accurate identification and threat assessment (15.5, 15.a). A linked climate-adaptation platform of 1,952 plant-community microcosms, derived from long-term field plots, enables replicated tests of grassland responses to drought and warming (15.3, 15.5, 15.a). The Buxton Climate Change Impacts Lab remains the world’s longest-running climate-manipulation experiment, delivering multi-decadal evidence on how UK species-rich grasslands respond to drought and warming, evidence now used to guide restoration and land-degradation policy (15.3, 15.5). Through a NERC-funded CASE PhD with Cheshire Wildlife Trust, we assessed the Hatchmere beaver enclosure’s biodiversity, hydrology, and long-term sustainability (15.1, 15.5, 15.8, 15.9). Research capacity is further strengthened by new investment in environmental sciences doctoral training announced in November 2024 (first cohort October 2025) (15.9, 15.a).

Education and student experience

The University equips students to protect, restore and manage ecosystems through research-led teaching, fieldwork and co-curricular learning. At undergraduate level, modules such as Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Sustainability, and Global Environmental Crimes and Justice develop ecological literacy, conservation practice, and understanding of biodiversity-related governance (15.1, 15.5, 15.9). At postgraduate level, the MSc Global Change Ecology and Evolution builds advanced skills to analyse biodiversity responses to human pressures and to design mitigation and restoration strategies (15.5, 15.a). Students apply learning through field classes and research projects linked to real landscapes (15.1, 15.3). Ness Botanic Gardens deepens this experience via access to nationally significant living collections and applied short courses; students and the public can undertake RHS-recognised qualifications and workshops that build identification, horticulture and habitat-creation skills for nature recovery (15.5, 15.a). Beyond the curriculum, the Guild of Students’ gardening (urban food growing, permaculture, microgreens) and campus biodiversity initiatives provide regular, hands on opportunities to support nature on campus and in the community (15.1, 15.5). Together these opportunities develop graduates who can conserve biodiversity, tackle land degradation and integrate nature into decision-making, advancing (15.1), (15.3), (15.5), (15.9) and (15.a).

Sustainable campus and operations

The University enhances biodiversity across a diverse estate, urban campus, landscaped grounds, grasslands and a botanic garden, through policy, place-making and nature-positive maintenance (15.1, 15.3, 15.5, 15.9). In February 2025, we published our first Biodiversity Plan, setting out principles, commitments and actions to address biodiversity loss and the ecological crisis. To support this, we completed a comprehensive survey and mapping exercise of habitats across the University using the UK Habitat methodology, the only approach compatible with Biodiversity Net Gain requirements. This evidence base will guide future action, targeting biodiversity gains in major capital developments and informing estates regimes to protect and enhance identified priority habitats (15.1, 15.5, 15.9, 15.a). Delivery is overseen by Property & Campus Services within our ISO 14001:2015 environmental management system, embedding biodiversity into maintenance, new builds and refurbishments, from habitat creation and tree planting to biomass reuse and accessible green spaces (15.1, 15.3, 15.9). In August 2025 we opened the ADHD Foundation Garden, creating an inclusive space that strengthens nature connection (15.1, 15.5, 15.9). We also took part in No Mow May and continued relaxed mowing across grasslands to boost wildflower forage and pollinators. The University is a Gold-accredited Hedgehog Friendly Campus, and at Ness Botanic Gardens, conservation-led collections support species monitoring, engagement and collaboration (15.1, 15.5, 15.a).

Case studies

Mapping river mobility for nature-positive planning

In April 2025, University of Liverpool researchers co-authored a study published in Nature Communications that used more than 10,000 satellite images and Google Earth Engine to quantify how rivers shift their position over time. The team developed “locational probabilities”, a way to map how often a river occupies each location, across 10 catchments in the Philippines covering approximately 600 km² and spanning 1988-2019. The approach delivers a clear, updateable footprint of river movement for planners and conservationists, directly supporting ecosystem protection and restoration and the integration of nature evidence into land-use decisions (15.1, 15.9).

Liverpool scientists in the Department of Geography and Planning emphasised a whole-river view, analysing not just water, but the entire active width including unvegetated alluvial areas, revealing reach-specific hotspots of mobility and the absence of simple correlations with local factors such as channel width or confinement. This shows why place-specific, nature-positive management is essential in dynamic river landscapes (15.1, 15.9).

The project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology PCIEERD, with partners from the University of Glasgow, Brunel University London, the University of Auckland, and the University of the Philippines Diliman. Open datasets and example code are publicly archived in the NERC Environmental Information Data Centre, strengthening scientific knowledge, research capacity and technology transfer for river-hazard mitigation and ecosystem conservation (15.a).