FOR A FLOURISHING DLSU

SDG 15 (LIFE ON LAND) REPORT
Academic Year 2023-2024

De La Salle University has been quietly transforming parts of its Taft Avenue campus into areas where ecology and learning come together. Over the past years, the university has furthered its commitment to restore and expand green areas, turning them into living laboratories where environmental stewardship and academic life merge.

One of these initiatives is the establishment of a botanical garden complex that connects the Marian Quadrangle, the Amphitheater, and the Brothers’ Memorial Garden. The DLSU Science Foundation’s 2024 annual report outlines how this initiative will form a continuous green corridor at the heart of the university. It is envisioned as a living laboratory for plant propagation, species conservation, and outdoor instruction for students in biology and environmental science. Early groundwork has begun, with over 30 species of native and endemic plants being propagated for the site’s first phase. The project also serves as a contemplative space that honors the Lasallian commitment to the care of creation.

Alongside the garden project, the university continues to nurture smaller green assets across its campus. Community and food gardens, nursery plots, and propagation areas are maintained through the combined efforts of students, faculty, and staff. As reported by the University Sustainability Office, these green spaces cover approximately 1,200 square meters across the campus and are integrated into sustainability-focused courses and outreach activities. They encourage the campus community to participate directly in cultivation and conservation. Such projects reflect DLSU’s philosophy that ecological responsibility begins in everyday practice — one seedling, one plot at a time.

These physical transformations are complemented by research efforts. Entries in the university’s research repository show a steady stream of studies on soil media, plant propagation, and floral inventories by students and faculty. These investigations directly inform the university’s planting strategy and contribute to a growing evidence base on urban biodiversity. Several projects have also utilized geographic information systems to analyze vegetation cover and environmental change, highlighting how scientific inquiry enables responsible land and habitat management on a compact urban campus.

The Social Development Research Center (SDRC) has also advanced programs that connect campus-based learning with community action. In partnership with local barangays in Metro Manila, DLSU researchers have conducted a series of training workshops on plant propagation, native species care, and small-scale habitat restoration. Over 150 participants from local communities have joined these sessions, which focused on low-cost greening practices and the use of native plant species in urban settings. These activities extend the university’s environmental influence beyond its walls, helping nearby communities adopt sustainable methods for biodiversity conservation.

From the envisioned botanical garden to the scattered food plots and propagation nurseries, DLSU’s green spaces are concrete expressions of the Lasallian values of faith, service, and stewardship of the natural world. Each leaf, each root, and each pathway on campus now form part of a larger lesson: that sustainability is not merely something to be studied but a way of life to be lived and nurtured.