| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.00 |
| Liaison | Jessica Krejcik |
| Submission Date | Dec. 22, 2021 |
Concordia University
OP-10: Biodiversity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Cassandra
Lamontagne Sustainability Coordinator 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:
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:
Little Brown Myotis - Endangered
Monarch Butterfly - Endangered
Evening Grosbeak - Vulnerable
Red-headed Woodpecker - Least concern
Barn Swallow - Least Concern
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:
No 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:
Concordia University has two campuses totalling about 24 hectares. The Sir George Williams campus is located in the highly urban core of downtown Montreal and the Loyola campus is located in Montreal-West in a mixed environment of commerce, residences, and industries.
The following source of information have been used to assess the existence of endangered and vulnerable species or environmentally sensible habitats:
Map of Quebec’s Protected Areas (https://services-mddelcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8e624ac767b04c0989a9229224b91334)
The map of Quebec’s Protected Areas indicate that Concordia University does not contain and is not adjacent to legally protected areas. This map was updated March 31, 2021.
Montreal 2013 Biodiversity Assessment Report (http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/GRANDS_PARCS_FR/MEDIA/DOCUMENTS/LAB_REPORT_FINALE_EN_WEB.PDF).
Although Montreal has important biodiversity, the Montreal 2013 Biodiversity Assessment Report did not highlight any endangered species or habitats in the vicinity of Concordia’s campuses, especially considering that natural habitats account for only 9.7% of Montreal’s area. Some species considered “at risk” are located in the city’s large parks, aquatic habitats and along shorelines.
Québec Biodiversity Atlas – Threatened or Vulnerable Species
(https://cdpnq.gouv.qc.ca/pdf/Atlas-biodiversite-en.pdf)
The Quebec Biodiversity Atlas indicate that Montreal has a rather high species richness index but a rather low species rarity index with 0% of endemic species.
Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) (https://ibat-alliance.org/)
The Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) does not show any legally protected areas or regions of conservation importance overlapping Concordia University’s campuses.
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
(http://www.cosewic.ca/index.php/en-ca/)
The Government of Canada’s Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) detects 138 species in the province of Quebec that are classified as “Endangered”, “Threatened” or ""Special Concern"". It is possible that a small number of these species could be present on the Concordia campus. However, we do not have the resources to confirm for certain. Species include the Barn Swallow (Threatened), Evening Grosbeak (Special Concern), Little Brown Myotis (Endangered), Monarch Butterfly (Endangered) and Red-headed Woodpecker (Endangered).
Based on the above, it is reasonable to conclude that there no areas of biodiversity importance on land owned or managed by the institution. It is also reasonable to conclude that there is a possibility that five species with levels of extinction risk ranging from endangered to least concern could be present on campus.
A brief description of the scope of the assessment(s):
Concordia University's two campuses totalling about 24 hectares. The Sir George Williams campus is located in the highly urban core of downtown Montreal and the Loyola campus is located in Montreal-West in a mixed environment of commerce, residences, and industries.
A brief description of the plans or programs in place to protect or positively affect identified species, habitats, and/or ecosystems:
Our Sustainability Action Plan includes a strategy to "In collaboration with our community, introduce sustainable plant varieties in our landscaping: perennial native species, pollinator gardens and edible landscapes". We are developing a campus greening committee to respond to this strategy. Below are specific initiatives taking place at Concordia.
The Concordia Pollinators Initiative is a student-run group under the Concordia Food Coalition. They are focused on ensuring the health and abundance of some of the most important agricultural allies - pollinators like bees and butterflies. They aim to support urban pollinators in two ways: by providing urban habitats in the form of solitary bee nests and pollinator-friendly gardens; and by hosting pollinator-related workshops for the Concordia community.
https://concordiapollinators.wixsite.com/home
In an effort to conserve and protect the natural world both on and off campus, the WWF-Canada ""Living Planet @ Campus"" program encourages students, faculty and staff in the practice of sustainability and the protection of nature on campus and beyond. At Concordia, we are currently in a pilot year of this program and are working to increase linkages and leverage campus resources in order to deliver inclusive, skill-building and impactful programming for campus members. For Winter 2021, a webinar and activity series has been designed to introduce our community to the program-- and to the nature that surrounds us! Activities include a webinar on Urban Biodiversity in Montreal, a container gardening workshop and an urban biodiversity scavenger hunt. Also a webinar on waste and the environment with related activities including a waste sorting workshop and a community cleanup.
https://www.concordia.ca/about/sustainability/get-involved/wwf-living-planet.html
We received a WWF Go Wild grant to plant a new pollinator garden at the Loyola Campus. The garden design will be informed by submissions from students who were asked to develop ideas for ecological gardens on campus through the Ecology in Urban Environments (BIOL 398) course.
https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/main/stories/2021/02/02/funding-is-now-available-for-sustainability-projects-that-provide-experiential-learning-to-concordia-students.html?c=/about/sustainability/news
In 2019, 185 new trees were planted on the Loyola Campus. The project was made possible through a collaboration between a student group called the Concordia Greening Project and numerous faculty members. They partnered with non-profit organization Soverdi to obtain and plant the trees. Concordia’s Office of Sustainability and the City Farm School also helped get the project off the ground. All trees are indigenous species to the area and encourage biodiversity in various ways, from attracting bees and butterflies to growing berries for birds and squirrels to eat.
https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2019/11/08/concordia-celebrates-185-new-trees-at-loyola-campus.html"
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.