14.5.1 Plan to Minimise Physical, Chemical, and Biological Alterations of Aquatic Ecosystems
Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) is committed to maintaining the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems associated with university activities.
In 2025, UNISSULA established an institutional plan to minimise physical, chemical, and biological alterations to related aquatic ecosystems. The plan addresses potential impacts on water flows, sedimentation, erosion, water quality, habitats, vegetation, biodiversity, and aquatic organisms.
This approach supports the protection of rivers, drainage systems, ponds, coastal areas, and other aquatic environments that may be affected directly or indirectly by university activities.
Institutional Plan for Aquatic Ecosystem Protection
On 11 September 2025, UNISSULA issued Circular Letter No. 9015/J/SA/IX/2025 concerning the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems related to university activities.
The circular explicitly states that UNISSULA establishes a plan to maintain the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems connected with university activities.
The plan is structured around three major areas of environmental protection:
Physical conditions → Chemical quality → Biological integrity
This framework ensures that aquatic ecosystem protection is considered from multiple environmental dimensions rather than only from a pollution-control perspective.
Minimising Physical Alterations
The first component of the plan requires all university units to minimise physical alterations to aquatic ecosystems.
The circular specifically addresses:
- Changes in water flow;
- Sedimentation;
- Erosion;
- Disturbance to drainage channels;
- Disturbance to rivers;
- Disturbance to ponds;
- Disturbance to coastal areas; and
- Disturbance to related habitats.
Physical alterations can affect the structure and functioning of aquatic ecosystems by changing water movement, sediment distribution, habitat availability, or shoreline conditions.
By explicitly addressing these risks, UNISSULA establishes preventive measures to reduce physical disturbance associated with institutional activities and supporting infrastructure.
Protecting Water Flow and Drainage Systems
Water movement is an important component of aquatic ecosystem health.
UNISSULA’s plan requires activities to avoid unnecessary changes to water flow and drainage systems that may influence downstream aquatic environments.
Maintaining appropriate water movement helps reduce risks such as:
- Excessive sedimentation;
- Erosion;
- Obstruction of drainage;
- Changes in water distribution; and
- Physical degradation of aquatic habitats.
This preventive approach is particularly relevant in urban and coastal environments where changes to drainage and surface water movement can affect rivers, wetlands, and downstream coastal ecosystems.
Minimising Chemical Alterations
The second component of the plan focuses on preventing chemical changes to water quality.
UNISSULA requires institutional activities to prevent chemical alteration of aquatic environments through proper management of:
- Wastewater;
- Chemicals;
- Hazardous waste; and
- Other potential pollution sources.
These materials must be managed in accordance with applicable quality standards and environmental requirements.
This approach is intended to prevent changes in water chemistry that could affect aquatic organisms, ecosystem functions, and human health.
Wastewater Treatment and Water Quality Protection
The chemical-protection component is supported by wastewater-management practices within the Sultan Agung educational and healthcare environment.
Liquid waste can be treated through dedicated Wastewater Treatment Plants (Instalasi Pengolahan Air Limbah – IPAL) before discharge.
Wastewater treated through these facilities is required to comply with applicable wastewater-quality standards.
Effluent is also subject to measurement and recording to support compliance with environmental requirements.
These measures help reduce the risk of chemical changes to receiving aquatic environments.
Hazardous Waste Management
UNISSULA’s environmental management framework also supports the prevention of chemical contamination through responsible hazardous-waste management.
Hazardous wastes must be separated, labelled, stored, transported, and managed according to their characteristics and applicable requirements. Direct discharge of hazardous waste into the environment is prohibited.
This provides an additional layer of protection against contamination of surface water, groundwater, drainage systems, and related aquatic environments.
Minimising Biological Alterations
The third component of the plan addresses biological conditions within aquatic ecosystems.
UNISSULA requires university activities to support the protection of:
- Aquatic habitats;
- Vegetation;
- Biodiversity; and
- Aquatic organisms.
Activities should avoid actions that may disturb aquatic organisms or degrade the biological integrity of related ecosystems.
This requirement recognises that aquatic ecosystem protection is not limited to water chemistry. Healthy ecosystems also depend on maintaining habitat structure, vegetation, species diversity, and ecological relationships.
Protecting Habitats and Biodiversity
Aquatic habitats provide essential conditions for plants, animals, and other organisms.
UNISSULA’s plan therefore connects institutional environmental management with habitat and biodiversity protection.
The biological component encourages activities to avoid unnecessary disturbance to aquatic organisms and to maintain vegetation and habitat conditions that support ecological functions.
This is particularly important for aquatic environments that may already be under pressure from urbanisation, pollution, land-use change, or climate-related impacts.
Supporting Research on Ecosystem Resilience
UNISSULA’s ecosystem-protection plan is complemented by research on aquatic and coastal environments.
In 2025, UNISSULA researchers contributed to work on Nature-Based Solutions in Sayung, Demak, addressing climate-related pressures in a vulnerable coastal environment.
Public evidence:
https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1543/1/012041
UNISSULA researchers also contributed to research on environmental DNA in river water, supporting assessment of biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem health.
Public evidence:
https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1543/1/012045
These research activities complement the institutional plan by strengthening scientific understanding of aquatic ecosystem conditions and environmental pressures.
Supporting Research on Mangrove Ecosystems
Additional UNISSULA research in 2025 examined coastal and mangrove ecosystems in Semarang.
Research in the Tapak mangrove area addressed environmental management, biodiversity, ecosystem degradation, and community participation.
Public evidence:
https://jurnal.unissula.ac.id/index.php/kr/article/download/44112/12346
Research at Mangrove Edupark Tambakrejo also examined community participation and mangrove ecosystem management.
Public evidence:
https://repository.unissula.ac.id/46641
These studies provide supporting knowledge on how coastal habitats can be maintained under environmental pressure.
Preventing Land-Based Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems
UNISSULA’s aquatic ecosystem plan is also supported by its policy on preventing pollution from land-based activities.
Circular Letter No. 9014/J/SA/IX/2025 requires university units to prevent direct disposal of waste, plastics, chemicals, hazardous waste, and wastewater into water channels, rivers, coastal areas, or environments that may pollute aquatic ecosystems.
This policy complements the 14.5.1 plan by addressing pollution pathways that could lead to chemical or biological alterations in aquatic environments.
Integrated Approach to Aquatic Ecosystem Protection
UNISSULA’s plan combines several complementary actions:
Physical protection → Water-quality protection → Pollution prevention → Habitat protection → Biodiversity protection
The physical dimension addresses water flow, sedimentation, erosion, and habitat disturbance.
The chemical dimension addresses wastewater, chemicals, hazardous waste, and other pollutants.
The biological dimension addresses habitat, vegetation, biodiversity, and aquatic organisms.
Together, these components establish a comprehensive framework for minimising alterations to aquatic ecosystems associated with university activities.
Evidence of Implementation
- UNISSULA issued Circular Letter No. 9015/J/SA/IX/2025 on 11 September 2025, establishing an institutional plan to protect the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems related to university activities.
- The plan explicitly addresses physical alterations, including changes in water flow, sedimentation, erosion, and disturbance to drainage systems, rivers, ponds, coastal areas, and related habitats.
- The plan addresses chemical alterations through the management of wastewater, chemicals, hazardous waste, and other pollution sources in accordance with applicable standards.
- The plan addresses biological alterations through protection of habitats, vegetation, biodiversity, and aquatic organisms.
- Wastewater can be treated through dedicated IPAL facilities, supporting prevention of chemical changes to receiving waters.
- Treated wastewater is required to comply with applicable wastewater-quality standards.
- Hazardous waste may not be discharged directly into the environment and must be managed through appropriate procedures.
- UNISSULA’s policy on land-based pollution prevention prohibits potential pollutants from being directly discharged into aquatic environments.
- Research on Sayung, river ecosystem health, Tapak, and Tambakrejo provides supporting scientific knowledge on coastal and aquatic ecosystem resilience and biodiversity.