| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.49 |
| Liaison | Elizabeth Swiman |
| Submission Date | March 15, 2023 |
Florida State University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Elizabeth
Swiman Director of Campus Sustainability Facilities |
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:
FSU maintains property at Alligator Point and the FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory that are within the Apalachicola National Forest. Apalachicola National Forest is Florida's largest National Forest, spanning 571,088 acres. It is a place of botanical splendor, with virgin stands of pines and cypress, vast pitcher plant savannas, and extensive forests of longleaf pine crucial for survival of the red-cockaded woodpecker. The Apalachicola National Forest includes six watersheds and more than 2,500 acres of water, encompassing the Apalachicola River, New River, Ochlocknee, Sopchoppy, Lost Creek, and Wakulla River basins. A steady flow of fresh water from upland areas feeds the productive coastal nurseries of Apalachicola Bay and Ochlocknee Bay, both known for their shellfish and commercial seafood operations.
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:
Can be found in the adopted Campus Master Plan and the current State Lands Management Plans.
https://www.facilities.fsu.edu/depts/planningMan/masterPlan2-2020.php
https://www.fnai.org/
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:
Policy 1C-5 of the Campus Master Plan states that a census of the wildlife and plants that would be affected by future planning phases or improvements on campus must be performed and protection plans must be made for any that are found. Policy 1C-6 gives guidelines to follow if endangered species are found (as reported in the FFWCC Methodology Guidelines). For properties not covered by our Master Plan, the University has prepared a State Lands Management Plan which includes the identification and assessment of endangered/vulnerable species and environmentally sensitive areas.
The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), housed within the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center at FSU, disseminates guides to identify and track Florida’s rarest species. FNAI maintains a database of all conservation lands and vulnerable species to which FSU contributes and utilizes as a best practices resource. http://fnai.org/index.cfm
The methodologies used to identify endangered and vulnerable species and/or areas of biodiversity importance and any ongoing assessment and monitoring mechanisms:
Policy 1C-5 of the Campus Master Plan states that a census of the wildlife and plants that would be affected by future planning phases or improvements on campus must be performed and protection plans must be made for any that are found. Policy 1C-6 gives guidelines to follow if endangered species are found (as reported in the FFWCC Methodology Guidelines).
For properties not covered by our Master Plan, the University has prepared a State Lands Management Plan which includes the identification and assessment of endangered/vulnerable species and environmentally sensitive areas.
The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI), housed within the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center at FSU, disseminates guides to identify and track Florida’s rarest species. FNAI maintains a database of all conservation lands and vulnerable species to which FSU contributes and utilizes as a best practices resource.
http://fnai.org/index.cfm
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
Unless otherwise noted, objectives and policies contained in the Conservation element of the Campus Master Plan shall guide the development of the Main Campus and Southwest Campus in Tallahassee, as well as the Panama City Campus in Panama City, FL.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
Can be found in the adopted Campus Master Plan and the current State Lands Management Plans.
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.