First festival of biodiversity for the Forth Valley

The University of Stirling, in conjunction with Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC), will host its first ever Festival of Biodiversity from Friday, 16 to Sunday, 18 September.

Held on the University’s beautiful campus, and across the Forth Valley, over the course of three days, the Festival invites the public to take part in a series of events and activities including nature walks, expert Q&As, interactive workshops and film screenings to explore biodiversity in action across the planet, and at home in Scotland.

Professor Alistair Jump

Professor Alistair Jump, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, said: “Broadly speaking, ‘biodiversity’ refers to every living thing in the world - including plants, fungi, bacteria, animals, and humans – and the ecosystems that support life. Humans depend on healthy ecosystems to stabilise the climate, purify the air, protect our coastlines, and provide us with sufficient food, clean water and raw materials to survive.

“The Festival will celebrate biodiversity, across themes including mountain woodland restoration, discovering biodiversity beneath the ground, the re-beavering of Scotland's rivers and how the food we eat affects biodiversity.

“We want everyone to be as excited as we are about biodiversity, and to join the fight against its decline.”

Activities and events will delivered by local organisations across the Forth Valley on Friday and Saturday, with Sunday seeing the University’s Pathfoot Building house indoor events, talks, workshops, and stalls from a range of environmental organisations, and provide exhibition space for biodiversity-themed artwork. It will also be the meeting point for outdoor activities such as nature walks, forest bathing, tree coring and mindfulness walks.

SIEC is funded by a combined £22m investment from the UK and Scottish Governments, as part of the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal, with additional funding from the University of Stirling and Clackmannanshire Council.

Read more about Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC)