Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) maintains an institutional policy to support the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems associated with university activities.

The policy is established through UNISSULA Circular Letter No. 9055/J/SA/IX/2025, dated 11 September 2025, and applies across university units and relevant parties. The policy addresses terrestrial ecosystems including green spaces, vegetation, habitats, forests, mountainous areas, and drylands associated with university activities.

Institutional Policy for Terrestrial Ecosystems

UNISSULA recognises that university activities can interact with terrestrial ecosystems both within the campus environment and in other areas associated with education, research, community service, development, and institutional activities.

For this reason, the university requires the management and use of land and terrestrial ecosystem resources to maintain ecological functions, biodiversity, soil and water conditions, and long-term environmental sustainability.

The policy provides three principal directions:

Conservation → restoration → sustainable use

These three elements form an integrated approach to protecting terrestrial ecosystems associated with university activities.

Conservation of Terrestrial Ecosystems

The first provision of the policy requires terrestrial ecosystems associated with university activities to be protected and conserved.

The policy explicitly covers:

• Green spaces
• Vegetation
• Habitats
• Forests
• Mountainous areas
• Drylands

These ecosystems are to be protected from damage and degradation.

This provision supports the maintenance of existing ecological functions and helps prevent university-related activities from unnecessarily degrading terrestrial habitats.

The conservation approach can be represented as:

Existing ecosystem → protection → prevention of degradation → maintenance of ecological functions

Protection of Green Spaces and Vegetation

Campus green areas and other vegetated land associated with university activities form an important part of terrestrial ecosystem management.

Vegetation contributes to ecological functions through habitat provision, soil protection, water regulation, microclimate management, and biodiversity support.

UNISSULA therefore treats the protection of vegetation and green spaces as part of its broader commitment to terrestrial ecosystem conservation.

The policy also requires attention to habitats, recognising that terrestrial ecosystem conservation involves not only individual plants but also the ecological conditions that support biodiversity.

Forests, Mountains and Drylands

The policy explicitly refers to forests, mountainous areas, and drylands associated with university activities.

These environments can be particularly sensitive to inappropriate land use, habitat disturbance, vegetation loss, erosion, and other forms of environmental degradation.

UNISSULA therefore applies the same principle of conservation to such ecosystems whenever they are associated with university activities.

This approach ensures that environmental responsibility is not limited only to landscaped campus areas, but extends to different types of terrestrial ecosystems relevant to university operations and engagement.

Restoration of Degraded Land

Conservation alone is not sufficient where ecosystem degradation has already occurred.

The second provision of the policy therefore requires degraded or damaged terrestrial areas to be restored.

Restoration measures may include:

• Replanting
• Vegetation rehabilitation
• Plant maintenance
• Other restoration measures appropriate to the characteristics of the ecosystem

The policy explicitly states that areas experiencing damage or degradation should be restored through these measures.

The restoration approach can therefore be described as:

Degraded area → assessment → replanting or rehabilitation → maintenance → ecological recovery

Replanting and Vegetation Rehabilitation

Replanting and vegetation rehabilitation are important mechanisms for restoring terrestrial ecosystems.

Where vegetation has been reduced or damaged, restoration can help re-establish plant cover and support ecological functions.

The policy allows restoration measures to be adapted to local ecosystem conditions rather than applying a single intervention to all locations.

This enables restoration activities to consider the characteristics of the site, vegetation, soil, water conditions, and environmental function of the area.

Sustainable Use of Land and Terrestrial Resources

The third provision establishes the principle of sustainable use.

Land and terrestrial ecosystem resources associated with university activities are to be used in a way that considers:

• Ecological functions
• Biodiversity
• Soil conditions
• Water conditions
• Long-term environmental sustainability

This requirement is stated directly in the Circular Letter.

The principle helps ensure that land use does not focus solely on immediate operational needs but also considers its long-term environmental consequences.

Balancing University Activities and Ecological Functions

UNISSULA recognises that land may support multiple university functions, including education, research, community engagement, infrastructure, green space, and other institutional activities.

Sustainable land management therefore requires a balance between human use and ecological protection.

The policy establishes the following principle:

University activity → responsible land use → maintenance of ecological functions → biodiversity protection → long-term sustainability

This approach allows land to support university activities while reducing unnecessary environmental degradation.

Biodiversity Considerations

Biodiversity is specifically included among the considerations for sustainable land and ecosystem management.

This means that decisions regarding land use should consider the ecological role of vegetation and habitats rather than evaluating land only according to its physical or economic use.

Maintaining biodiversity can support ecosystem resilience and contribute to the continued functioning of terrestrial environments.

The policy therefore links sustainable land management with biodiversity conservation.

Soil and Water Considerations

The policy also explicitly requires consideration of soil and water conditions when using terrestrial ecosystems and land resources.

Soil and water are fundamental components of terrestrial ecosystem health.

Land-management decisions that negatively affect soil stability, water infiltration, vegetation, or ecological functions can produce impacts extending beyond the immediate area.

By incorporating soil and water considerations, UNISSULA promotes a more integrated approach to sustainable land management.

Prevention of Environmental Degradation

A key component of the policy is prevention.

Terrestrial ecosystems are to be protected from damage and degradation before restoration becomes necessary.

The university’s approach therefore prioritises:

Prevention → conservation → restoration where necessary → sustainable continued use

Preventing degradation is generally more effective for maintaining ecosystem functions than attempting to restore severely damaged areas after degradation has occurred.

Application Across University Activities

The Circular Letter is addressed to institutional leaders across UNISSULA, including faculty leadership, bureaus, institutes, units, and other university organisational structures.

This establishes terrestrial ecosystem protection as an institutional responsibility rather than the responsibility of a single academic programme or environmental unit.

The policy provides a common framework for considering terrestrial ecosystem sustainability in university-related activities.

Institutional Responsibility

Implementation of terrestrial ecosystem conservation requires cooperation among different university functions.

Academic units can contribute through research and education.

Community-service programmes can support ecosystem restoration and sustainable land management outside the campus.

Administrative and infrastructure units can protect campus green areas and ensure responsible land management.

Together, these activities support implementation of the institutional policy across different areas of university responsibility.

Policy Adopted in 2025

The policy was formally issued on 11 September 2025 through Circular Letter No. 9055/J/SA/IX/2025.

The document was issued on behalf of the Rector by the Vice Rector I of UNISSULA, providing formal institutional authority for its provisions.

The policy therefore provides a formal institutional basis for terrestrial ecosystem conservation, restoration, and sustainable land use.

Evidence of Policy Implementation Framework

UNISSULA’s terrestrial ecosystem policy establishes the following commitments:

1. Conservation — Terrestrial ecosystems associated with university activities, including green spaces, vegetation, habitats, forests, mountainous areas, and drylands, are to be protected and conserved and prevented from damage and degradation.
2. Restoration — Damaged or degraded areas are to be restored through replanting, vegetation rehabilitation, plant maintenance, or other appropriate restoration measures.
3. Sustainable use — Land and terrestrial ecosystem resources are to be used sustainably while considering ecological functions, biodiversity, soil and water conditions, and long-term environmental sustainability.

These three provisions provide a direct institutional framework for managing terrestrial ecosystems associated with UNISSULA.