Research Project: Green Walls and Insect Biodiversity in Sydney

This grant proposal investigates the relationship between green walls and insect biodiversity in urban environments, specifically focusing on Sydney, Australia. The project aims to determine how green infrastructure, such as green walls and roofs, can support insect species richness and contribute to urban biodiversity conservation. The research will employ both quantitative and qualitative methods, including data collection from existing green walls and statistical analysis to establish a correlation between green walls and insect populations. The study will examine the types of insects found in these environments, their biological life cycles, and the plant diversity associated with the green walls. The expected outcomes include identifying key insect species benefiting from green walls and raising awareness of the economic, environmental, and social benefits of green infrastructure. The project also considers ethical and biosecurity concerns related to the research. The project is available on Desklib, providing valuable information on urban ecology and environmental sustainability.

Running head: GRANT PROPOSAL
Grant Proposal
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1GRANT PROPOSAL
A. Administrative Summary:
A 1. Proposal Working Title:
Relation existing between Green Walls and insect’s biodiversity
A4. Proposal Summary:
While green walls and roofs are commonly found in the urban settings, and have always
been appreciated for the hydrologic and energy saving benefits they offer, it is a less
acknowledged fact that green walls actively contribute to the conservation of plant as well as
animal biodiversity. Since the benefits of green roofs in supporting the generalist species
especially insects is poorly documented, this project aims to discover the relation existing
between green walls and insects biodiversity. A5. Impact Statement: 75 words
A 5. Impact Summary:
Urban biodiversity is almost non-existent in today’s world, and yet the creation of green
infrastructure can help in conserving nine thousand insects, such as Hemiptera, Coleopteran and
Diptera. The abundance and richness of the species of insects requires to be highly maintained,
and yet it becomes challenging in a polluted, urbanized set-up. In such a situation, the research
project will help in enlightening ways the incorporation of vegetative technologies and vegetated
facades in the urban planning of Sydney can help in maximizing biodiversity gains, by
supporting generalist species, especially insects.
B. Classification and Other Statistical Information:

2GRANT PROPOSAL
B 1. Does this Proposal fall within one of the Strategic Research Priorities?
Yes
Strategic Area Strategic Goal
Living in a changing environment Identify vulnerabilities and boundaries to the
adaptability of changing natural and human
systems - This research will help in
overcoming the problems associated with
environmental change of an urban set-up, so as
to improve the biodiversity in Australia and
improve insect’s sustainability.
Living in a changing environment Manage risk and capture opportunities for
sustainable natural and human systems- this
research will help in enlightening ways in
which the green infrastructure can be used to
ensure insect diversity.
C. Project Description:
Project Title: Relation existing between Green Walls and insects’ biodiversity
Project Aims:

3GRANT PROPOSAL
The concept of urban biodiversity has emerged to be an important concept that seeks to conserve
the loss of specialist and any other kind of species that is sensitive to urbanization. This is
exactly the reason behind the increasing popularity of the green walls in and around the cities. In
fact, Sydney in Australia alone boasts of a large number of moss walls and vertical gardens.
However, while the green walls have been widely appreciated for their aesthetic as well as
economic and environmental benefits, few people are aware of the role this green infrastructure
plays in increasing the sustainability of insects. This project will help in demonstrating the
relationship existing between green walls and insect’s biodiversity.
Project Background:
Green roofs and walls form an integral feature of the urban infrastructure which usually
consist of plants and mosses, growing in light-weight growth medium laid over drainage and
waterproofing layers (Madre et al. 2015). The most popularly known benefits of green roofs
include its ability to retain water, increase the energy efficiency of the buildings, as well as
cooler microclimates. However, the lesser known fact in this regard is that green roofs and walls
also provide habitat to a rich variety of species, especially the insects. The ecological benefits are
least promoted, and deserves special mention here. A large number of studies have confirmed the
presence of insects on the green roofs and walls, and all the studies indicated that the bees,
spiders, moths, butterflies, and soil-dwelling anthropods, were most commonly found here
(Rupprecht et al. 2015). Thus, the habitat creation for insects thereby enriching insect
biodiversity has been recently cited as one of the most important benefits of green roofs and
walls. Although research evidence suggests that insects are usually more abundant in evergreen
foliage rather than the deciduous foliage, the insect’s species richness is an important quality
characterizing the green walls and roofs. At the same time, research data also suggests that if the

4GRANT PROPOSAL
vegetation is composed of monoculture, or it was composed of a polyculture, insect richness
might be different in each of the cases (Williams et al. 2014). Thus, although vegetation diversity
can affect insect biodiversity differently, the green roofs and walls do help in increasing insect
species richness. The vegetated facades are well-capacitated to shelter anthropods, and help in
creating enhancing insect’s biodiversity. There is no gain stating that the vertical greening
system can be deemed to be an effective mimicry of natural vertical habitats just like cliffs that
are covered with climbing plants or vegetated waterfalls, thereby helping to create potential
analogue habitats for organisms . Hence, insect biodiversity is one of the major benefits of green
walls and roofs.
Research Project
Significance of the problem
Due to the high pressure of modernization, urban places in Australia is suffering from
loss of greeneries that has resulted in risks biodiversity depletion. There are more than 2000
species of insects in Australia, which are highly dependent upon the balance of ecosystem.
The use of green walls is believed to help the issue related to loss of greenery is in the
urban areas of Australia. However, due to lack of awareness among the australians about the
significance of the green walls and also the high amount of cost that are involved in the
construction work, very few people are interested in net construction. As the insect diversity are
suffering from loss in the Australian ecosystem, currently it is high time to ensure that the
ecological balance is being restored by improving the total amount of greeneries in the urban
areas. The Exclusive relationship between the green walls and insect biodiversity will be
explained in the following section.

5GRANT PROPOSAL
Method used in the research work
In order to establish relationship between the green walls and insect biodiversity
researchers will follow quantitative and qualitative form of research method. Researchers will
collect data mainly from the secondary sources, which will help them to gather information
related to the significance of green walls in the context of improving the level of greenery in
urban areas. The researchers will also attempts to use the hypothesis form of Research Design,
which is highly essential in the context of establishing relationship between ecological balance of
insect biodiversity and green walls.
The researchers will at the beginning study the importance of existing green walls and
collect data about the insects that are found in the areas around the green walls. The researchers
will conduct this study at least upon 50 green walls that are already constructed in urban and
suburban areas of Australia. Regions of green walls having high volume of insect biodiversity
will mainly be focused upon. The researchers also need to identify the insect species that are
discovered in the areas around green wall, which will help them to understand the major types of
insects that will be benefited with construction of more number of Green walls.
It will be also important for the researcher to focus upon the biological life cycle of each
of the insects. This will help them to understand the significance of green wall and the plants that
are used, which can have a major contribution of on the biological life cycle of insects. The study
also need to focus up on the planet diversity or the type of plants that are mainly associated with
the green walls. The study also need to focus upon green walls that are constructed in golf
courses, urban part and residential Gardens.

6GRANT PROPOSAL
After the data are being collected from various sources related to the green walls and insect
biodiversity, the researchers will use statistical tools in the form of quantitative data analysis
method. This will help them to properly evaluate and establish hypothesis of relationship
between green walls and insect biodiversity.
Feasibility of the project
The process of Data Collection that will be used is highly visible in context of the
research work. As the popularity of green walls in the urban areas of Australia especially in golf
parks and residential parts are going high, it will be highly feasible for the researchers to collect
relevant data from the given sources.
It will also be easily possible to collect the data about the insect biodiversity that are
available in the urban areas in Australia. This will help in understanding the importance of
relationship between the Biodiversity in green walls and insect biological life cycle. Hence, the
research work will attempt to establish effective relationship between the existing green walls
and insect biodiversity. As data about the insect biodiversity will be collected it will help in the
feasibility to understand the significance of the greeneries that is helping to maintain the insect
biodiversity.
Research Design of the project will help to make it more feasible due to the fact that it
will be easily possible to collect the data and establish the relationship. Research will be
conducted within a period of 7 weeks. In the first week the research will decide upon the green
walls in the Australian urban areas from where they are willing to collect relevant information.
The next to week the researchers will focus upon collecting important information related to the

7GRANT PROPOSAL
green walls and insect biodiversity. In the following week, the researchers will use the data for
identifying the insect biodiversity.
Expected outcome and impact of the research
The result of the research work is expected to identify all the major type of insect species
that are growing in the urban areas of Australia due to the construction of green walls in
residential parks and golf parks. Research work will also highlight upon the biological life cycle
of the insects and thereby help to understand the evolution process that the insects have adopted
in order to survive in the urban areas. It will thereby help to understand the change process that
have undergone in the biological life cycle of the insects as they are adopting in the urban
lifestyle.
The result of the research work is expected to raise the awareness of the eco friendly
people in Australia about the significance of constructing green walls. This is because the
expected result of the research work will highlight upon the growth of insect biodiversity that is
mainly possible due to rise in the number of Green walls.
Economic, environment and social benefit of the project
As a project work will help in raising the level of awareness within the common people
about the importance of clean walls, it will help in the process of economic and urban social
development. This will be more important in the context of the current days due to the fact that
the activity of modern human beings imposing a great pressure upon the environmental
ecosystem.

8GRANT PROPOSAL
The green walls are also believed to be economically sustainable due to the fact that it
can also act as Natural air conditioner, thereby reducing the cost of energy consumption in
domestic households. As the total number of species are increased due to the insect biodiversity,
it is also possible to maintain the environmental balance in the urban areas (Prodanovic et al.
2017).
Potential of the research work
After successful evaluation and conclusion of the research work, it will easily be possible
to understand the evolutionary adaptation that occurred within the lifestyle of insects. This will
help in the process of reducing the environmental degradation in the form of air pollution. As
scientists will be able to understand the change in the biological life cycle of insects, it will
possible for them to suggest future steps to enhance the construction of green walls. This will
help in the process of raising the Awareness of the people about taking initiative of constructing
more number of Green walls in urban areas.
Ethical and Bio-security Considerations
It is highly important for the researchers to consider the ethical factors associated with the
research work. As they are dealing with the subject of biological diversity, it is important for the
researchers to ensure that they do not cause any harm to the biological lifecycle and local
ecosystem for the sake of the research work.
The researchers will also need to identify the risks that are associated due to the
investigation work. For this research work, investigators need to follow significant procedures to
ensure that no insects are being harmed while they are conducting study about their biological

9GRANT PROPOSAL
life cycle. This is the essential step for bio security that is a part of the research ethics (Hinchliffe
et al. 2013).