Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.40
Liaison Luc Surprenant
Submission Date Dec. 2, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Université de Montréal
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Alexandre Beaudoin
Consultant, Biodiversity
Vice rector's office, Finances and Infrastructures
"---" 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:
Mount Royal was granted the Provincial status of Historical and Natural Patrimonial Borough of Mont-Royal in 2003. This status was recently revised to a Heritage Site. Since the Université de Montréal has been on this site well before it was recognized as a protected area, the new status of Mount Royal encourages and stimulates changes in the operations. In short, the entire campus of Université de Montréal, because it is located on the mountainside of Mount Royal, is considered a protected area.

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:
Three professors from the University did a study in 2005 in which they created an empirical tool to give an ecological value to different sections of the campus (high, moderate, low, not applicable). Title: "Les espaces boisés du flanc nord-ouest du mont Royal: une richesse à découvrir sur le campus de l'Université de Montréal.(Boivin, P., Brisson, J., Bouchard, A.), 2005. In addition, a variety of studies have looked at the flora and animals found on the moutain. Among other works, a meta-analysis was done by Alexandre Beaudoin, a biologist, for his Master’s degree in Sustainable Development. The conclusions of those various studies were presented in 2012 and are still used as guidelines for on-campus actions.

A brief description of identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
The list of flora species current threatened on the campus: Carex dephalophora, Sanguinaria canadensis, Trillium garndiflorum, Juglans cinerea. The oak grove in the upper part of the campus is considered a site of High ecological value because of the presence of Carex dephalophora which is listed as a vulnerable or threatened species by the Quebec Ministry of Environment.

A brief description of plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats and/or environmentally sensitive areas:
In 2011 and for a period of 50 years, 13.42 hectares was given to the City of Montreal for the creation of a public park of 23 hectares. The objective is to protect the natural aspect of the land. In 2009, a Protection Plan for the whole mountain was made by the City of Montreal. The Université de Montréal has signed and still proudly upholds this commitment.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Beaudoin, Alexandre. (avril 2012). État de la biodiversité sur le campus de l'Université de Montréal.

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.