Where the variety of life takes root at ETH
Anyone walking across the ETH Zurich campus is moving through a landscape that is undergoing change. Sustainably redesigned green spaces promote a species-rich habitat – right in the middle of everyday university life.
What was still a construction site last autumn has turned into diverse campus landscape over the spring and early summer. The new biodiversity areas on the H?nggerberg campus are not only complete – they are already teeming with life: flying, buzzing, crawling, humming and blooming. Anyone walking along Robert-Gnehm-Weg or Vladimir-Prelog-Weg to the Sports Centre today can no longer miss the newly created wild bee paradises.
They were planned by ETH alumnus Claudio Sedivy and his company Kompass B according to ecological principles and implemented with a variety of structural elements: sand lenses, dry stone walls, deadwood, shrubbery, climbing aids and open ground create space for ecological colonisation. In addition to insects and small animals, attentive pedestrians will also spot native shrubs and even some rare orchids typical of the region. Insect-friendly plants such as oregano, mullein and viper's bugloss are currently in full bloom.
H?nggerberg for 25 years and is retiring at the end of the year, it becomes clear that a new ecological diversity has established itself on the campus – one that is literally taking root and harmoniously enveloping the historic garden areas.
“Fifteen percent of all wild bee species in Switzerland live on the H?nggerberg campus.”Fritz Graber, Chief Green Space Manager, 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 H?nggerberg
Where it is green and blooming in June and July
The biodiversity areas are situated in prominent places on the ETH campus. There are also many niches and inaccessible places on roofs and facades where infrastructure and nature meet.
In the H?nggerberg 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】 Info, visitors will find the ‘Biodiversity’ section in the interactive campus model, which will help them find their way around quickly.
365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】-wide biodiversity monitoring
On 12 June 2025, a biodiversity monitoring pilot was carried out on both campuses in collaboration in collaboration with the USYS Department, Facility Services, HR Vocational Training and ETH Sustainability. Under the guidance of Prof. Lo?c Pellissier and his group as well as the expertise of the green space managers, 18 ETH apprentices and more volunteers spent a whole day collecting DNA traces and compiling image material.
The pilot ‘Biodiversity Monitoring ETH 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】’ aims to systematically record and evaluate biodiversity on the ETH Zurich campuses. Regular data collection and the use of modern technologies could document the development of species diversity, habitats and ecological relationships in the long term. This provides a basis for targeted measures to promote biodiversity on campus, as envisaged in the external page Swiss Landscape Concept (German only) for the surroundings of federal buildings.
What method was used for monitoring?
eDNA sampling of tree surfaces and soil has proven to be a reliable, resource-efficient way of monitoring tree-dwelling mammals that are difficult to observe. This method significantly expands the scope of biodiversity research, particularly in terrestrial habitats but also in water. In the field, sterile gauze is used to wipe specific areas of grass or tree bark to collect traces of DNA left behind by animals. The samples are then sealed in tubes and analysed in the laboratory.
Already in 2023/2024, Kompass B conducted a wild bee monitoring for five five-hour periods and identified a total of 93 different species of wild bees on the H?nggerberg campus. This corresponds to 43% of the wild bee species in the city of Zurich, including nine Red List species.
“After three years vocational training at ETH, we gained a new perspective on the campus by participating in the biodiversity monitoring.”Mathilda Falco und Rahel Steiner, Apprentices in Information and Documentation, ETH Library
Biodiversity in action: monitoring and experiencing species diversity on the ETH 365体育官网_365体育备用【手机在线】
Always up to date
Would you like to always receive the most important internal information and news from ETH Zurich? Then subscribe to the "internal news" newsletter and visit Staffnet, the information portal for ETH employees.