| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.88 |
| Liaison | Alex Frank |
| Submission Date | April 14, 2022 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Alex
Frank Sustainability Analyst Office of Sustainability |
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:
The UW-Madison Arboretum is home to at least 20 threatened or endangered species and is also a culturally significant landscape. The arboretum is home to the oldest and most varied collection of restored ecological communities in the world (https://arboretum.wisc.edu/about-us/) and recently was added to the National Register of Historic Places (https://news.wisc.edu/uw-arboretum-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places/)
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?:
A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:
See the attached for a list of protected species found at the UW-Madison Arboretum.
Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:
A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
In addition to assessments that occur as a part of one-off research projects, monitoring is conducted by Arboretum staff, faculty, and students from UW–Madison and other area colleges, citizen scientists, and partner organizations such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison Audubon Society, and The Prairie Enthusiasts. These and other individuals and organizations provide expertise and support in a wide variety of areas including plant and animal monitoring, habitat monitoring and mapping, soil structure, invasive and rare species monitoring and mapping, native pollinator surveys, (especially bees and bumble bees), stormwater and ground water quality, and daily weather attributes (https://arboretum.wisc.edu/science/monitoring/).
Furthermore, the UW-Madison Arboretum completes a structured plant monitoring every 5-10 years and a survey specifically for orchids every year. With monitoring programs on-going, the last survey was completed in 2018.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
The assessment includes plants and animals within the UW-Madison Arboretum
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
The UW-Madison Arboretum employs sustainable landscape management practices (https://arboretum.wisc.edu/land-stewardship/). Ecological restoration is always on-going, especially in an urban environment which alters natural processes. Activities to protect these habitats include:
- Monitoring and removing invasive species that reduce biodiversity in native plant communities by using effective and well-timed methods leading to better ecological restoration results and land health.
- Removing woody plants to restore plant communities that require full sun.
- Planting and seeding native plants to restore land.
- Using prescribed fire to manage some vegetation types. Fire can help control woody vegetation and cool season weeds, as well as renew and stimulate prairie and savanna communities.
- Managing stormwater from the surrounding city landscape in several ways. Rain gardens and restored areas infiltrate stormwater. Large stormwater inputs are handled by engineered ponds surrounded by native plantings.
Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :
Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.