Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 63.92
Liaison Rania Assariotaki
Submission Date Dec. 15, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

The American College of Greece
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Michael Valahas
Dr.
Environmental Studies
"---" 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, and/or regions of conservation importance?:
Yes

A brief description of the legally protected areas, internationally recognized areas, priority sites for biodiversity, and/or regions of conservation importance:
ACG campus is adjacent to Mt. Hymettus which is a Natura 2000 proetected area. Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated respectively under the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/index_en.htm

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify endangered and vulnerable species (including migratory species) with habitats on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

Has the institution conducted an assessment or assessments to identify environmentally sensitive areas on institution-owned or –managed land?:
Yes

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

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or environmentally sensitive areas (including most recent year assessed) and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
The ecosystem of the ACG, comprising of approximately 260,000 m 2 of the western slopes of Mt Hymettus, is restricted and partially isolated from mammalian herbivores through a series of fences, walls and building works. Furthermore, extensive cultivation of various non-native plantations has altered the biodiversity of this microsystem. Extending north to northwest of the Hymettus Mountain, its more than 47 years of existence and protection has so far been uncharacterized with respect to the micro-system that has developed. An early indication of the importance of the project to quantify and characterize this territory is the discovery of the novel species of Ophrys dicipulus, identified in three locations on the campus and up to this point appear limited to this specific area.

A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
The Campus Grounds are home to an endemic species of orchid, Ophrys Discipulus. since its discovery in march 2013 strategies have been put in place to ensure non pervasive study of the plant and to identify other critical aspects of the campus ecosystem.

A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
Access to the forested area has been monitored as well as suggestions for leave-no-trace policies implemented and widely publicized in the community.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.