Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	66.65
Liaison	Austin Sutherland
Submission Date	Aug. 9, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Pennsylvania
OP-10: Biodiversity

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	1.00 / 1.00 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) 2 points are available for this credit if the institution owns or manages land that includes or is adjacent to any of the above. 1 point is available for this credit for all other institutions. Close

"---" 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, 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:

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Endangered and vulnerable species

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?:

Yes

A list of endangered and vulnerable species with habitats on land owned or managed by the institution, by level of extinction risk:

Bird species of concern in Pennsylvania that have been documented on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, according to the PA Wildlife Action Plan, 2015:
- Chimney swift
- American Kestrel
- Peregrine Falcon
- Brown Creeper
- Gray Catbird
- Swainson's Thrush
- White-Throated Sparrow
- Black-and-White Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler
- Black-Throated Blue Warbler
- Black-Throated Green Warbler
- Blue-winged Warbler
- Golden-Winged Warbler

Areas of biodiversity importance

Has the institution conducted an assessment to identify areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution?:

Yes

A brief description of areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution:

As part of the "Ecological Landscape Stewardship Plan," Penn's campus was comprehensively assessed to better understand the design intent, biodiversity, plant health, soil, and stormwater implications.

Methodologies

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

The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:

As part of the "Tree Campus USA" submission, which is updated yearly by Penn, an assessment of tree care, management, and health as well as an inventory of trees on campus is completed. In addition, the plan evaluates the biodiversity of the tree population and specifies native and adaptive species for planting.

A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):

The Ecological Landscape Stewardship Plan assessed 4 landscape typologies on Penn’s campus through each season in order to improve planning, design, maintenance and policy related to environmental practices and landscape stewardship. These 4 areas cover around 10% of Penn's campus.

Annual Tree Campus USA (now Tree Campus Higher Education) submissions cover 100% of Penn's campus.

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

The "Ecological Landscape Stewardship Plan" along with the "Tree Care Plan" identify plans and management programs to protect sensitive areas.

Optional Fields

Estimated percentage of areas of biodiversity importance that are also protected areas :

Website URL where information about the institution’s biodiversity initiatives is available:

https://www.sustainability.upenn.edu/initiatives/designing-green

Additional documentation to support the submission:

2018-02-02_ELSP-Final-compressed.pdf

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The University of Pennsylvania is a major research institution, with over 3,000 degrees granted annually from twelve professional and academic schools at the Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate levels. Penn is committed to reducing emissions and energy use, as stated in the 2014 "Climate Action Plan 2.0". This submission documents Penn's efforts during the FY17 year and compares them to the FY14 baseline year which corresponds with the University's "Climate Action Plan. 2.0". The submission relies on information related to the main, academic, West Philadelphia campus, but to more fully document efforts across the Penn system, information related to the Morris Arboretum and New Bolton has also been referenced and noted as outside the boundary in descriptions. The information is used to enrich examples of University efforts and is not intended to be the primary justification for credits. The responses for each of the questions and sub-questions are drawn from University materials, both internal and public documents. Each section notes the website where the information can be found.

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.