| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 91.10 |
| Liaison | Alex Davis |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2023 |
Arizona State University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Krista
O'Brien Program Manager Sustainability Practices |
Does the institution own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, or regions of conservation importance?:
A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:
None of ASU's campuses meet any of the criteria including or being adjacent to legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, or regions of conservation importance.
ASU does have a small property, Tonto Creek Camp, that is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest. According to data in the USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States, Tonto National Forest is not listed as any of the IUCN Protected Area Categories I-VI. This database describes Tonto National Forest as "managed for multiple uses - subject to extractive (e.g. mining or logging) or OHV use"
Additionally, Tonto National Forest is not listed in the World Database on Protected Areas (https://www.protectedplanet.net/c/world-database-on-protected-areas).
Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution?:
A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:
The following were identified using IPaC: Information for Planning and Consultation and IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List databases.
IUCN Red List
Near Threatened
• Gila Monster, Downtown, Lake Havasu, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
• Mexican Spotted Owl, Downtown, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
Endangered
• Gila Chub, Downtown, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
• Razorback Sucker, Downtown, Tempe
• Spikedace, Downtown, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
Vulnerable
• Desert Pupfish, Polytechnic and West
• Fishhook Barrel Cactus, Polytechnic and West
• Lesser Long-nosed Bat, Polytechnic
IPaC (National List)
Endangered
• Bonytail, Lake Havasu
• California Least Tern, Downtown Lake Havasu, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
• Razorback Sucker, Lake Havasu
• Southwestern Willow, Lake Havasu, Tempe
• Yuma Ridgway’s (Clapper), Downtown, Lake Havasu, Tempe, and West
Threatened
• Northern Mexican, Lake Havasu
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Downtown, Lake Havasu, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
Candidate
• Sonoran Desert Tortoise, Downtown, Lake Havasu, Polytechnic, Tempe, and West
Endangered, Experimental
• Sonoran Pronghorn, Downtown
Note: this assessment reflects historical ranges. Many of these campuses are in urban areas and as such are not viable habitats for these animals.
Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:
A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:
An assessment conducted using the keybiodiversityareas.org and IBAT-Alliance tools does not show any areas of biodiversity importance on any ASU campus. Currently, there are no KBAs of importance on land owned or managed by the institution.
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
The ASU Biodiversity Assessment to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) has been compiled with IPaC and IUCN Red List databases. The assessment conducted to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution has been compiled with KBA Key Biodiversity Areas Integrated Biodiversity Assessment tool.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
Boundaries for the assessment include property owned and operated at all four main campuses in Arizona, as well as the Lake Havasu campus. This list will be updated every three years to address property boundary changes and any new species identified with critical habitats within ASU property boundaries or newly identified KBAs. This assessment will inform watershed planning, land-use guidelines and invasive species planning.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
ASU’s Sustainable Urban Ecology framework establishes an initial biodiversity plan and management strategy to guide campus biodiversity, rewilding and sustainable urban development initiatives.
The plan focuses on the metro Phoenix campuses that are in the Sonoran Desert biome and could be utilized as a platform for measuring biodiversity and urban heat island in the Phoenix area. It provides a set of tools to adapt the current landscape to climate change, such as creating a desired plant palette, goals, and targets to enhance key biodiversity areas and create a multi-functional learning landscape that will be an investment for the future by preserving natural systems at ASU.
To determine the impacts of rewilding ASU will observe areas of campus that have been rewilded in terms of water conservation, soil nutrition, air quality, types of native plant species, and animal-insect-reptile impacts. ASU will collect these same data from areas of campus that have not been rewilded. The impacts on faculty, student, and staff connectedness to nature will also be measured across campuses.
ASU will measure overall success at an institutional scale and balance the university against the broader community and the Phoenix area. ASU will implement plans and programs to protect or positively affect the species, habitats, and/or ecosystems and develop a model for what climate-resilient urban landscapes can provide for humans and nature.
Read more: https://www.asu.edu/fm/documents/Sustainable-Urban-Ecology-Research.pdf
Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :
Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.