Biodiversity Education Initiative (BEI)

Mission

As a Biodiversity & Health Protection Campus, UNH is committed to being a model sustainable community in the state and region. UNH is meeting this commitment through its University-wide Biodiversity Education Initiative (BEI), the mission of which is to integrate the ethics, science, technology, and policies of conserving biological diversity, ecosystem integrity, and public health into the University's identity and practices. To accomplish this mission, the BEI is actively engaging the University community in efforts to protect biodiversity and ecological and public health across campus and beyond. Conservation efforts are complemented by related integrative research, interdisciplinary curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and broad-based engagement and outreach programs that educate students, faculty, administrators, staff, and the larger community about the relationships among climate, ecological and public health, and economic and social well-being.

Under BEI, UNH is committed to:

  • Maintain biodiversity and ecological integrity on UNH lands including the main Durham campus.
  • Develop tools for assessing, evaluating and managing biodiversity, ecological integrity, and ecological and public health.
  • Develop ecologically-based approaches to landscape design and management.
  • Create mechanisms that support professional development (teaching, research, and outreach) of UNH faculty/staff in disciplines of biodiversity, ecological integrity, and public health.
  • Educate students in all fields about the relationships among human activities, climate, biodiversity and health.

  • Be recognized and set the example for others as a biodiversity & health protection community model in the state and region.

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