Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 80.45
Liaison Tori Grant
Submission Date Dec. 13, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Calgary
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Megan Wibberley
Manager, Operational Sustainability and Reporting
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, 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:

The University of Calgary's Barrier Lake Field Station is located adjacent to the Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park.


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?:
No

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 university has carried out its own biodiversity assessment across a number of flora and fauna. The special list detailed below is current as of 2016. Additionally, the City of Calgary published a city-wide biodiversity report in 2014 (http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Documents/Planning-and-Operations/Biodiversity-report2014.pdf). This report categorized over 1,000 species of flora and fauna, of which over 150 are at least sensitive to risk. Several of these species appear on the University of Calgary campus, including the ‘At Risk’ peregrine falcon.

Our Barrier Lake field station is adjacent to a province of Alberta park.

The province also has a species at risk list that was updated as of June 2015 (http://aep.alberta.ca/fish-wildlife/species-at-risk/documents/SpeciesAssessedConservation-2014.pdf). The University continues its full cooperation with the City of Calgary’s and the Province of Alberta's biodiversity plans and policies alongside internal biodiversity and landscape management operations.


A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:

More than 800 trees have been inventoried on our campus and 55 different species identified (Viewable at http://ucmaps.ucalgary.ca/PublicFiles/Reports/STARS2016_Trees/PDF/Trees_STARS2016_AllTrees.pdf) including the following species:
American Elm
Amur Cherry
Amur Maple
Apricot
Aspen
Birch
Black Ash
Blue Spruce
Bristlecone Pine
Buckthorn
Bur Oak
Caragana
Crab Apple
Cranberry
Dogwood
Dolgo Crab Apple
European Mountain Ash
Golden Willow
Green Ash
Hawthorn
Honeysuckle
Japanese Lilac
Juniper
Larch
Lilac
Linden
Lodgepole Pine
Manchurian Ash
Manchurian Elm
Manitoba Maple
Mayday
Mountain Ash
Mountain Pine
Mugo Pine
Pear
Pink Spire Crab Apple
Ponderosa Pine
Poplar
Pyramidal Cedar
Rosthern Crab Apple
Schubert Chokecherry
Scotch Pine
Sea Buckthorn
Selkirk Crab Apple
Siberian Larch
Snowbird Hawthorn
Strathmore Crab Apple
Sutherland Caragana
Swedish Aspen
Toba Hawthorn
Tower Poplar
Trembling Aspen
Unknown
White Spruce
Willow

Additionally, there is an inventory of many invertebrate species on our main campus and at the Barrier Lake Field Station. This inventory can be viewed here: https://www.ucalgary.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/filefield_paths/uofc-insect-species-lists-sustainability-report.docx


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

Classified as ‘At Risk’ by the Alberta provincial government, peregrine falcons have used the university campus as a nesting place since at least 1995. The university has provided nest ledges for the falcons. Fledglings have been banded and monitored for conservation purposes. Injured falcons have been taken under the care of wildlife refuge for assessment and rehabilitation in the past, but are ultimately returned to the wild.

Additionally, as of Fall 2016, The City of Calgary has signed the Durban Commitment. It is the third city in Canada to join this international biodiversity program. As part of the Durban commitment, the City ensures the participation and involvement of all stakeholders, of which the university is one. This agreement considers biodiversity from a land-use, management and conservation level. As part of the partnership between the City of Calgary and the University of Calgary, faculty representatives sit on the BiodiverCity Advisory Committee.


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.