15.2.3 Maintain and extend current ecosystems’ biodiversity

Summary

In 2025, Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) worked directly to maintain and extend existing ecosystems and their biodiversity, of both plants and animals. On its own campuses, SWU looked after a living urban tree ecosystem of 639 large trees of 77 species, carried out tree-by-tree care across six zones, kept green spaces and drainage canals in good condition on the Ongkharak campus, and extended green space by turning a paved fountain roundabout into planting beds. Beyond its campuses, SWU staff and students went out to work directly in other ecosystems: they fertilised trees and made EM balls for the ponds of Chatuchak Park, Bangkok, and helped care for rescued wild animals under threat, including tigers, Asian black bears and otters, at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok Province.

Direct actions in 2025 at a glance

1. Keeping an Existing Urban Tree Ecosystem Alive: Large-Tree Care on the Prasarnmit Campus

SWU’s Prasarnmit campus is an existing ecosystem in the middle of Bangkok, and the University works directly to maintain it. The University’s fiscal year 2025 tree register lists 639 large trees of 77 species across 41 buildings and open spaces, from common shade trees such as Pink trumpet trees (Chomphu Phanthip) to native Thai species such as Pradu, Inthanin, Golden shower, Lamduan and Khoi. In a dense city, this tree cover is an important green habitat, and the trees are cared for one by one.

1.1 What SWU did

• Care planned for each tree. The Large-Tree Management Plan for fiscal year 2025 divides the campus into six zones (A–F). For each tree, the plan gives its species, a photograph, a work date and the treatment needed.

• Pruning to keep trees, not remove them. The treatment recommended in the plan is crown pruning and thinning, which maintains the existing trees and keeps them healthy and safe, so that the campus does not lose its mature trees.

• Work across the year. The work is scheduled from December 2024 to September 2025, and each page of the plan is signed by the contractor’s project manager and members of the University’s committee.

1.2 Why it matters for biodiversity

Mature trees are the backbone of the campus ecosystem. By keeping the existing trees and their mix of 77 species healthy, SWU maintains the plant biodiversity of the campus as a green habitat in the city.

Figure 1. Zone A of the fiscal year 2025 tree-care plan: each tree to be cared for is marked on the map.

Figure 2. Tree-care record for Zone A, listing species, photograph, work date and crown pruning to keep each tree healthy.

Sources: Physical and Environment Unit, Physical Development Division, SWU, large-tree survey of the Prasarnmit campus, fiscal year 2025; Large-Tree Management Plan for fiscal year 2025, submitted by True One Co., Ltd., 23 December 2024.

2. Looking after Green Space and Canals on the Ongkharak Campus

On its large Ongkharak campus in Nakhon Nayok Province, SWU maintains its green areas every month. The campus landscape plans for 2025 set out regular work around every building, including fertilising and pest control for plants, mowing, pruning trees along power lines and clearing weeds from drainage canals, which keeps water flowing through the campus. The plans also included landscape improvement around the Sustainability Innovation Building in March 2025 and landscape work around the campus roundabout in May 2025.

This routine care keeps the trees, lawns and waterways of the campus in good condition, so that the existing green ecosystem of the campus is maintained throughout the year.

Source: Ongkharak campus landscape work plans (แผนงานปรับปรุงภูมิทัศน์ มหาวิทยาลัยศรีนครินทรวิโรฒ องครักษ์), 2025.

3. Extending Green Space: from a Paved Fountain to Planting Beds (15 March – 10 April 2025)

SWU does not only keep the green space it has; it also works to extend it. On 12 March 2025, the Physical Development Division of the Prasarnmit campus announced an improvement of the fountain roundabout, with work from 15 March to 10 April 2025. The announcement states that the area would be given a new landscape to make circulation easier and to increase green space in the University.

In the design shown in the announcement, the fountain and hard paving are replaced by curved planting beds on either side of a pedestrian crossing. Land that had no plants becomes land for plants, a direct step to extend the campus ecosystem.

Figure 3. Announcement of the fountain roundabout improvement, 15 March – 10 April 2025, to increase green space on the Prasarnmit campus (before and after design).

Source: Physical Development Division, SWU Prasarnmit, announcement "ปรับปรุงวงเวียนน้ำพุ", 12 March 2025, http://physdo.op.swu.ac.th

4. Caring for Trees, Soil and Ponds in a Public Ecosystem: Chatuchak Park, Bangkok (15 June 2025)

On 15 June 2025, SWU went outside its campuses to work directly in an existing ecosystem that is shared by the whole city. Chatuchak Park is one of Bangkok’s largest public parks, with large trees, lawns and ponds. The activity was run by the University’s Asok Model project (Social Service Office), together with the Krit Chit Asa volunteer group and park staff.

4.1 Work for plants

• Fertilising the park’s trees. SWU students and volunteers loosened the soil around the trees and added fertiliser, under the guidance of park staff, to improve soil health and help the trees grow.

4.2 Work for water and aquatic life

• EM balls for the park’s ponds. Participants mixed effective microorganisms (EM) with bran and soil and shaped them into EM balls. Park staff dry the balls and then use them in the park’s ponds to treat wastewater, reduce odours, improve water quality and support aquatic life.

In one day, the activity cared for both the plants and the water of the park. Because the EM balls were handed to park staff, the care of the ponds continues after the event.

Figure 4. Children from the community loosen the soil and fertilise a tree at Chatuchak Park, 15 June 2025.

Figure 5. Students fertilise a large tree to keep it healthy.

Figure 6. EM balls made by participants, to be used by park staff to improve the water of the park’s ponds.

5. Hands-on Care for Threatened Wild Animals: Wildlife Rescue Centre 1, Nakhon Nayok (24 May and 26 July 2025)

SWU also works directly for animal biodiversity, especially wild species under threat. Wildlife Rescue Centre 1 in Nakhon Nayok Province cares for wild animals that have been rescued or confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. On 24 May and 26 July 2025, SWU’s Asok Model project and the Mon Asa volunteer group worked at the centre alongside its staff.

5.1 What SWU did

• Preparing food for wild animals. In the centre’s food preparation room, SWU students and volunteers cut fruit and vegetables and prepared fresh meals suited to each species.

• Cleaning enclosures. Under staff supervision, they cleaned the enclosures of tigers and Asian black bears and the areas around them, so that the animals have clean and safe places to live.

• Supporting the centre’s staff. The extra hands helped the centre with its daily care of tigers, Asian black bears and otters, wild species that are under threat in the wild and from the illegal wildlife trade.

Rescued wild animals depend completely on the people who care for them. By helping with feeding and enclosure care, SWU gave direct support to the conservation of threatened animal species.

Figure 7. A rescued Asian black bear eats food prepared by SWU students and volunteers.

Figure 8. Cleaning an animal enclosure under the supervision of centre staff.

Figure 9. A rescued tiger cared for at Wildlife Rescue Centre 1.

Figure 10. Preparing fresh food for the rescued animals.

Supporting Actions in 2025

• Permanent forest ecology plots with a local community (4 September 2025). In Ban Thung Kraprong, Ban Na District, Nakhon Nayok Province, SWU’s Educational Research Development and Demonstration Institute worked with pupils and the local community to establish permanent forest ecology study plots, which allow the local forest to be followed and looked after over the long term.

• Checking that campus water supports aquatic life. SWU monitors the water of the Ho Phra pond, the last water body on the Ongkharak campus before water flows out to the public canal. The latest results (Semester 2, academic year 2025) show dissolved oxygen of 10.7 mg/L, a level that can support aquatic life.

Contribution to SDG 15: Life on Land

In 2025, SWU worked directly to maintain and extend existing ecosystems and their biodiversity, of both plants and animals. It kept the trees, green spaces and canals of its own campuses healthy, extended green space where there was none, cared for the trees and ponds of a public park, and gave hands-on support to threatened wild animals. Together, these actions help keep living ecosystems in and around the city for people and for wildlife.