Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	55.04
Liaison	Prabhakar Shrestha
Submission Date	Jan. 13, 2023

STARS v2.2

New Jersey Institute of Technology
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.00 / 1.00 This credit is weighted more heavily for institutions that own or manage land that includes or is adjacent to any of the following: Legally protected areas (e.g., IUCN Category I-VI) Internationally recognized areas (e.g., World Heritage, Ramsar, Natura 2000) Priority sites for biodiversity (e.g., Key Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites) Regions of conservation importance (e.g., Endemic Bird Areas, Biodiversity Hotspots, High Biodiversity Wilderness Areas) 2 points are available for this credit if the institution owns or manages land that includes or is adjacent to any of the above. 1 point is available for this credit for all other institutions. Close	Mikaila Ullal Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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:

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Endangered and vulnerable species

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?:

Yes

A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:

Plants:
Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) - Critically Endangered
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) - Endangered
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) - Endangered
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) - Endangered
Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica) - Endangered
American Elm (Ulmus americana) - Endangered
Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata) - Near Threatened
Chinese Arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) - Near Threatened
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) - Near Threatened
Lawson's Cypress (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) - Near Threatened

Birds:
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) - Near Threatened
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) - Vulnerable in New Jersey

For species of least concerned, please view:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=2021-rutgers-newark-njit-9th-annual-bioblitz&subview=map&verifiable=any&view=species

Areas of biodiversity importance

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:

Yes

A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:

Campus Center Roof Planting:
The Newark Rooftop Therapy Garden, which called for adding more than a dozen flowers, fruit and herbs, including black-eyed Susan, lowbush blueberries, lavender, wild bergamot, basil and mint, was created to provide aromatherapy and also provide the rooftop with a space to cultivate biodiversity.

Honors College Cultivating Biodiversity:
The Food Forest - Laurel Hall: The goal of the food forest is to create an immersive learning experience in which students and visitors can walk through a biodiverse green space while reading about native plants, and enjoying what these plants produce.

Eberhardt Hall Planting:
Honors College Students weeded invasive species and planted native plants to increase the biodiversity of this area.

Honors College Planting:
The plants were selected in part based on the research findings from the 2018-2019 Honors First-Year Seminar that saw a need to support a larger number of organisms (especially pollinators) and solve irrigation issues. They include bloomers and berry producers that can help prevent rainwater runoff and provide “ecosystem services.”

Red Tail Hawk Nest at ADHC:
the Urban Ecology Lab kept a live stream surveillance of the Hawk living on the ledge of the Albert Dorman Honors College. Hawks have been seen around campus before, but usually do not feel comfortable enough to nest in urban environments, until now. This could be an ecological indicator that the biodiversity of NJIT/Newark has changed and become more suitable for more new species. As they would not be here if they did not have adequate amounts of prey and resources.
https://news.njit.edu/hawk-watch-livestream-life-inside-njits-rare-red-tailed-hawk-nest
https://research.njit.edu/uel/njit-hawkcam

Methodologies

If yes to either of the above, provide the following:

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

During Campus Biodiversity Blitz, students survey the campus' biodiversity through iNaturalist annually. These species are categorized through the website by how common and their level of endangerment.

A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):

The BioBlitz happens annually, in which students and professors can log what they find into iNaturlist. There are more species that need their endangered-status identified.

A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:

We are at the beginning phase of making a plan to manage and maintain these species.

Optional Fields

Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :

Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:

https://research.njit.edu/uel/

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

List of species observed on campus that are threatened/endangered.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=2021-rutgers-newark-njit-9th-annual-bioblitz&subview=map&threatened&verifiable=any

List of all species observed on campus annually.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2021-rutgers-newark-njit-9th-annual-bioblitz?tab=species

Biodiversity Projects by the Urban Ecology Lab (UEL):
https://research.njit.edu/uel/research

FOOD FOREST:
https://news.njit.edu/creating-more-sustainable-njit-biodiversity-alternative-energy-carbon-neutrality

PLANTING IN FRONT OF EBERHARDT
https://news.njit.edu/cultivating-biodiversity-albert-dorman-honors-college

PLANTING BEHIND HONORS
https://news.njit.edu/planting-purpose-honors-students-foster-biodiversity-campus