ECO WEEK One of the highlights of Eco Week was the visit of Dr Smriti Safaya, writes Edward Wesson (Year 12)
During Eco Week, Year 12 A-level geographers explored citizen science and the school grounds with biodiversity specialist Dr Safaya. After meeting Dr Safaya over pas- tries and hot drinks in the Old Library, we went around the edge of the school grounds, near the South Circular, which despite my five-ish years at the school, I’ve only visited once or twice be- fore. Mr Purnell, the Head of Grounds, taught us how he has been helping wildlife and the
grounds to flourish, how he has ensured we have colourful flowers even during the winter, and shared with us his plans to have a flower garden with a water feature (which should be installed next year). Accompanied by Dr Safaya, we traversed the school grounds, documenting wildlife and adding the data to iNaturalist, a global nonprofit network dedicated to mapping and sharing biodiversity observations. This platform allows users to upload photos of animals for identification by the community, or themselves. Once they reach research grade, these observations are added to scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, serving as valuable resources for biologists and scientists worldwide. As a team, we boosted the number of observations on the school grounds from 10 to an impressive 68, with 32 of these reaching research- grade status (as of 27 November 2023). To finish, we installed two trail cameras, which you can find around the school grounds. If you’re ever free, I recom- mend walking around the campus: not only is it relaxing, but you might also get to see some wildlife. The cameras will allow us to monitor biodiversity in school and collect more data about the animals that call our school grounds home. Sustainability starts with institutions, and it is reassuring to see the steps the College is taking to help us reach our net zero target by 2050. I would encourage everyone to get involved: get the iNaturalist app, and document what you can, and take a walk around the grounds! Many thanks to Dr Golding for organising the day. ◉
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