Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative

In 2021, researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) formed the Wageningen Biodiversity Initative (WBI). It served as an internal platform for employees and students to collaborate and contribute to the reversal of the biodiversity loss curve. 

Goals of the WBI

1. Create WUR-wide connections on biodiversity by growing an active biodiversity network
2. Foster transformative research aimed at bending the curve of biodiversity loss by facilitating multi- / transdisciplinary research proposals and projects
3. Promote integration of biodiversity topics in educational programmes at all levels
4. Accelerate the application of WUR biodiversity knowledge in policy and society by positioning WUR as a global knowledge partner on biodiversity

Achievements of the WBI

• Wageningen Biodiversity Challenge: an annual event that consists of a species counting contest and excursions around campus, open to the WUR network as well as people from outside the university. 
• Production of a policy discussion note from soil health experts to provide scientific input on the new EU Soil Health Law.
• The 2022 Mansholt Lecture in Brussels, delivered to policymakers in Brussels on the entry points to nature-positive futures. 
• In 2023, WUR became a founding member of the global Nature Positive Universities Alliance, led by the University of Oxford, UNEP Youth & Education, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

More information

For more information on the WBI, please consult the following links

Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative: 'First WUR, then the rest of the world' - WUR

What is the Wageningen Biodiversity Initiative? - WUR