Texas A&M University

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)

Institutions may identify legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and regions of conservation importance using the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) for Research & Conservation Planning, the U.S. Information, Planning, and Conservation (IPaC) decision support system, or an equivalent resource or study.

This credit is weighted more heavily for institutions located in areas of water stress and scarcity and less heavily for institutions in areas with relative water abundance. The points available for this credit are determined by the level of ”Physical Risk QUANTITY” for the institution’s main campus,, as indicated by the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas and detailed in the following table: