Mediterranean Garden Living Lab and Biodiversity Demonstrator

The Mediterranean Garden at the URJC Móstoles Campus is a nature-based educational and sustainability initiative that transforms part of the university campus into a living laboratory for biodiversity, ecological restoration, and climate adaptation. Developed through an innovative teaching project within the Biology degree programme, students designed and implemented a naturalistic planting scheme using native Mediterranean species, applying ecological principles to create a more resilient and sustainable green space. The project was made possible through collaboration between the university community, the URJC Green Office, campus gardening services, and IMIDRA.

The garden showcases the ecological value of native vegetation in urban environments, demonstrating how biodiversity-friendly planting can enhance ecosystem services, support pollinators and wildlife, reduce maintenance requirements, and increase resilience to drought, heat waves, and other climate-related pressures. The demonstrator includes 30 native species belonging to 13 botanical families, carefully selected to represent the diversity and functionality of Mediterranean ecosystems. It also serves as a long-term teaching and research resource, enabling students from Biology, Environmental Sciences, and related disciplines to monitor biodiversity, study plant-animal interactions, and evaluate the environmental benefits of nature-based solutions in a real-world setting