Biodiversity and Water Conservation Summary: Biodiversity represents the total variety of life on planet Earth, and the network of biodiversity expressed by biological interactions in ecosystems provides many benefits to human societies such as: 1) provisioning services, 2) regulating services, 3) cultural services, and 4) supporting services . These services are collectively called ecosystem services, which provide tangible benefits to society that are typically not monetized. Globally, biodiversity is in crisis as human populations expand and intensify resource use. Two key factors leading to biodiversity reduction are land development and climate change, which alters the physical determinants of the physiological functions of life. The UN Climate Action Report documents how reducing biodiversity loss is a key driver in fighting climate change. Biological systems are key “sinks” of carbon dioxide, meaning they can pull carbon out of the atmosphere that remains after fossil fuel combustion and store it in biological material, slowing the growth of carbon dioxide levels.
By expanding native biodiversity improvements into CWU’s CAP, we can increase our ability to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions while updating the campus landscape to be more compatible with native species, thus minimizing our impact on regional biodiversity and improving the campus aesthetic to promote mental health and psychological well-being. Biodiversity improvements can also have secondary effects by reducing fertilizer and pesticide inputs required to keep campus grounds in a state that does not match our ecoregion.
Objective: Promote and institute sustainable landscape management and water conservation practices. Restore terrestrial and aquatic landscapes to increase biodiversity on campus.
Projected GHG Emission Reductions: Low Impact Strategy: Increased collaboration among CWU Grounds, Facilities Management, Biology Department, Wildcat Farm, Sustainability, and Capital Planning and Projects to develop and begin implementing a Campus Restoration Plan and a Water Conservation Plan by 2026. Action Steps: Campus Restoration and Stormwater Management Plan: • Compile a team of department leaders and biology students to initiate planning efforts. - To support future campus restoration, CWU Sustainability works collaboratively with representatives from Facilities, Grounds, and the CWU Biology Department to highlight areas where sustainable landscaping and/or restoration projects could improve habitat conditions for the species of our region. • Compile existing biodiversity into one repository to serve as baseline for the species known to use campus. • Increase the use of native plants in landscaping, especially those that provide forage to bird and insect species native to our region. • Incorporate creative stormwater management to create habitats on campus in appropriate areas. • Employ methods that ensure over 50% of campus grounds are managed without the use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides. • Create a monitoring plan and perform surveys to measure changes in species using our campus. Water Conservation Plan: • Quantify and evaluate potable and irrigation water usage at CWU. • Develop measurable water conservation goals for campus. • Prioritize tactics that address the largest sources of water leaks on campus. • Identify and employ additional water conservation practices for landscaping, residential halls, and large water users on campus.
Department Lead(s): CWU Grounds and Facilities Management, CWU Biology Department, Sustainability. Initial and Ongoing Costs: $400,000 for metering irrigation water. Staff time for developing the Campus Restoration Plan and Water Conservation Plan. Funding Opportunities: Washington State Legislative Funding – Capital or Operating Budget Requests, WA Department of Ecology, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Phasing Plan: Department leads begin meeting during the Summer/Fall Quarters of 2024 to initiate coordination efforts for the CWU Campus Restoration Plan and Water Conservation Plan. Both plans are completed by summer 2025. Implementation occurs in late 2025. Equity Considerations: Department leads consider potential unintended consequences or disproportionate impacts to historically excluded and marginalized campus and local community members. Project leads seek an inclusive process during the planning and implementation phases. Co-Benefits: Improved campus aesthetic, increased biodiversity, sustainable landscape practices employed from a grounds/maintenance perspective, and increased water conservation, carbon sequestration, and soil quality.
32 | CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | 33
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator