Students from courses within our Department of Animal and Environmental Biology have been conducting a full survey of wildlife in Mill Road Cemetery, Cambridge. The survey team consisted of first year students Keri Russell (who is also the Anglia Ruskin Wildlife Society President), Jon Skinner, Roger Tang, Simon Ward, Stephanie White and Darren Watkinson, and were coordinated by Postgraduate student Alex Dittrich and supported by our academic staff. The team has been cataloguing different species of plants and animals present in the cemetery on behalf of the Friends of Mill Road Cemetery support group.

The Cemetery is a rich site of wildlife and vegetation situated on the doorstep of our Cambridge campus, by helping to conduct the survey our students have been able to learn hands-on survey techniques in the field and valuable identification skills. Within the team Keri, Jon and Stephanie undertook the task of cataloguing the cemeteries' vegetation and lichens. Alex and Roger have been building information on the invertebrates present in the cemetery, and Jon and Simon have been cataloguing the cemeteries' birds, which include nesting goldfinches. In the coming months the team also plans to build a more detailed picture of the mammals living in and visiting the cemetery.

Speaking of the survey work undertaken by the students, Programme Leader Dr Julian Doberski commented: "Employers are looking for graduates with plant and animal identification skills. This can only be gained by spending lots of time with keys and identification guides in the field. This is just what these students are doing."

Nigel Cooper, the university chaplain, has been assisting the project team with developing their plant identification skills through a series of 'in the field' workshops. He reflects, "It is a joy to share a love for plants and the fun of identifying them. Even grasses start to make sense once one gets a handle on them."

Alex Dittrich added, "With a growing human population natural habitats are undergoing constant changes. Urban areas are often overlooked as sites of importance for biodiversity - this should not be the case. Many rare and exciting species are found in human dominated habitats, with diverse communities supported in remarkably small areas. The slightest change to which can make vast differences to biodiversity; whether this effect is positive or a negative is down to how these sites are managed in the here and now."

For further information and to volunteer please contact Alex Dittrich or wildlife@angliastudent.com

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