GreenVET pathway

Rewildering campuses

Rewilding campuses means restoring natural ecosystems on school grounds by creating biodiverse green spaces like pocket forests, meadows, and native gardens and in-house expertise to engage the school community in design and action.

Key People and Partners Involved

Students and teachers (across disciplines)
Facilities/groundskeeping staff
Biology and environmental science educators
Local ecologists, permaculture designers, or nature NGOs
Community and parents (volunteer planters, donors)

Description of the practice

Rewilding campuses transforms underused or intensively managed green spaces into natural areas that restore ecological balance and support biodiversity. These spaces create opportunities for reconnecting with nature and enhance the overall environmental value of the school grounds.

Participatory methods can be used to involve students, teachers, and staff in planning and imagining the rewilded space. This process fosters shared ownership, encourages creativity, and supports interdisciplinary learning through collaboration and dialogue.

Drawing on the knowledge and skills available within the school community makes the practice more accessible and sustainable. Rewilded areas can enrich education by offering hands-on learning opportunities and turning the campus into a dynamic environment for exploring sustainability in practice.

Where it’s being implemented

This link might not lead to content in English language. Use your browser's translate function or automatic captions to explore this resource.

Project Rewild offers a nationwide initiative supporting schools in identifying sections of their grounds for transformation into biodiverse "Rewilding Spaces." They provide infrastructure, training, and ongoing support to help integrate nature-based learning into everyday school life
https://www.rewildingyouth.co.uk/schools
Wilding Campuses project aims to address this by increasing the abundance and diversity of threatened species on and around our campuses. Crucially, it will also empower students, staff and young people across Nottingham to reconnect with nature and tackle the ecological crisis through practical skills sessions, and engagement and wellbeing activities.
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sustainability/grounds/wilding-campuses-project.aspx

Impact and Results

Increased biodiversity and ecosystem services on school grounds
Strengthened student connection to nature and local environment
Enhanced cross-curricular, place-based learning
Reduced maintenance and chemical use
Visible commitment to climate resilience

Implementation Tips and Insights

Start small—with a corner space, “pocket forest,” or wild border
Choose native, drought-resistant plants adapted to your local ecosystem
Create interpretation signage to make learning visible
Track biodiversity changes over time with students
Integrate the rewilded areas into classes (science, arts, geography, VET)

Useful Links and Resources

This link might not lead to content in English language. Use your browser's translate function or automatic captions to explore this resource. This episode of the Green Urbanist podcast is a conversation about the 'Wilding Campuses' programme, led by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK). The host and guests talk about the practicalities of applying a 'wilding' approach on highly altered and designed landscapes on educational campuses.
https://greenurbanistpod.com/episode/117-wild-wilding-campuses