Griffith Biodiversity

Discover our natural environment. Our campuses play host to a number of natural environments, and play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity in South-East Queensland.

Griffith University's Biodiversity Action Group has been working to document the variety of living things that call our campuses home. Within Griffith's Sustainability Plan, the University has committed to numerous goals that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. This includes strategies aligned with the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. One of the primary strategies is supporting rich and healthy biodiversity at Griffith through an array of approaches that reduce threatening processes impacting our wild species such as greenhouse gas emission, pollution and land-clearing. All of this while using our campuses for world-class education that has sustainability at its core.

Our Biodiverse Griffith portal takes our visitors, students and staff on a virtual tour of the University's natural heritage; our biodiversity, and what we are doing to celebrate, maintain and enhance it. Come take a look.

First Nations

Griffith University believes strongly within its core values our position as stewards maintaining the remarkable co-management and environmental sustainability Aboriginal people engineered as traditional farming practices over tens of thousands of years within each of our individual campuses: Southbank, Nathan, Mt Gravatt, Logan, and Gold Coast. Aboriginal people co-existing within the natural heritage in cultivating the landscape via complex kinship systems as to make those resources abundant in building a thriving ecological system of biodiversity within each campus.

We now have a responsibility as Griffith University to protect, restore and enhance this biodiversity within each individual campus and ecosystems to protect these significant conservation values in appreciation of the resources provided by Aboriginal people, and protect not only the beautiful environment, but the world view we have inherited well into the future. This wealth of natural heritage embedded within Aboriginal knowledges also provides many opportunities for promoting appreciation of biodiversity values and conservation to staff, students, and the broader community as well as strong collaborative partnerships in conservation and sustainability with a range of stakeholders, e.g., local and state government, community organisations and industry partners and most importantly traditional Aboriginal knowledge keepers.

This website may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased. It also contains links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased.

Gold Coast campus

Gold coast campus biodiversity

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Nathan campus

Nathan campus biodiversity

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Logan campus

Logan campus biodiversity

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Gold Coast Snapshot

Situated in the coastal lowlands of South East Queensland, Griffith University's Gold Coast campus boasts remnant natural ecosystems and regionally-themed landscaped gardens.

The coastal campus contains over 440 species of plants of which 186 are native to the site. Within these botanical havens, over 100 birds, mammals, frogs and reptiles and numerous freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates make a home. Our native ecosystems outside the campus' landscaped areas include towering blackbutt forests, cool and damp swamp paperbark wetlands and scribbly gum forests teeming with wildflowers.

Gold Coast Campus Species (XLSX)

Kombumerri Together Project

BioCondition Report, Gold Coast Campus

Field Based Forest Carbon Assessment Gold Coast

Nathan Snapshot

Situated in the dry eucalyptus forest typical of ridges and hills in South East Queensland, Griffith University's Nathan campus nestles amongst the natural ecosystems of the Toohey Forest Park and Mt Gravatt Outlook Reserve.

The forested campus contains over 610 species of plants of which 467 are native to the site. Within this rich forest environment, over 190 birds, mammals, frogs and reptiles and numerous freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates make a home. The native ecosystems that exist on this campus are astounding and are a testament to the many people who have fought hard over decades to protect the Toohey Forest area of outstanding natural beauty for the future.

Nathan Campus Species (XLSX)

BioCondition Report Nathan

Field Based Forest Carbon Assessment Nathan

Logan Snapshot

Situated in cleared remnants of an old dairy farm in Meadowbrook, Griffith University's Logan campus is at first, seemingly a green desert compared to the rich forests and landscaping of the Gold Coast and Nathan campuses.

The flatland campus however may surprise you in that it contains over 220 species of plants of which 165 are native to the site. Within this relatively rich floristic environment of landscaped areas, open fields, lakes and a newly-planted native arboretum, over 70 birds, mammals, frogs and reptiles have been recently identified here with many more expected to be discovered in the coming years as the campus rehabilitates into its pre-clearing glory!

Logan Campus Species (XLSX)

Field Based Forest Carbon Logan

Biodiversity books produced by Griffith University

Birds of Brisbane South (Nathan)

Native plants for indoors and small gardens

Vertebrates of Gold Coast

Native plants for school gardens

Campus flow-through

Take a virtual tour of the biodiversity values of the Logan campus. Learn about our brand new arboretum, the rehabilitation of Slacks Creek with Logan City Council, the Logan LEAF Festival, the importance of urban lakes and wetlands, carbon sequestration projects and an ancient Macadamia tree older than the campus itself!

Sustainability

Griffith's commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Climate Action

Griffith’s Climate Action Beacon seeks to develop the knowledge, leadership, capacity and responses to enable effective and just climate action throughout society.

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