University of Exeter
Lower Hoopern Valley: Nature Recovery at the Heart of the City
Finalist, Nature Positive
About
Lower Hoopern Valley is a 38-acre County Wildlife Site in the heart of Exeter, managed by the University of Exeter as a flagship for urban nature recovery. Once grazed and largely inaccessible, it is now being restored through a programme informed by extensive consultation with students, staff, residents and partners since 2023, helping build a strong sense of shared stewardship and supporting a new community charity. Restoration includes hedgerow and scrub creation, cut-and-collect meadow management, and 27 nature-based flood management features built from recycled campus timber. Early outcomes include measurable biodiversity gains, a 26% reduction in peak water depth and predicted sequestration of 16.87 tonnes CO₂. New public rights of way, including an accessible path, have opened the Valley to the community. As a living laboratory, it supports teaching and research, demonstrating how universities can integrate nature recovery, climate resilience and community engagement in practice.
Top 3 learnings
1. We learnt that early and ongoing consultation builds trust and creates long-term community stewardship.
2. We learnt that estate land can deliver research, teaching, access and nature recovery together.
3. We learnt that nature connection helps turn biodiversity projects into long-term civic assets.
SDGs
15- Life on land
What it means to win
Winning a Green Gown Award would be a fantastic endorsement of the University of Exeter’s commitment to restoring nature in inclusive, evidence-led, and locally rooted ways. It would recognise Lower Hoopern Valley as both a habitat restoration project and a collaborative effort involving students, staff, residents, and partners, demonstrating what can be achieved together in an urban setting. The award would extend the project’s impact beyond Exeter by raising the Valley’s profile as a practical demonstrator, supporting knowledge exchange, visits, and shared learning. It would also highlight the value of combining biodiversity recovery with community access, reinforcing our ambition to embed nature-positive approaches across the estate—and we hope inspiring others in their own nature recovery efforts.
| 2026 | |
| Nature Positive | |
| Finalist, UK and Ireland |
More from the 2026 awards
Charles Sturt University
Restoring Nature, Inspiring Futures: 20+ Years of Biodiversity Leadership
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Finalist, Nature Positive
Green Gown Award Regions
Australasia
