Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) maintains an institutional policy to identify, monitor, and protect species of conservation concern and their habitats in areas managed by or affected by university activities.

The policy is established through UNISSULA Circular Letter No. 9022/J/SA/IX/2025, dated 11 September 2025. It specifically covers flora and fauna included in the IUCN Red List and species included in national conservation lists whenever their habitats occur in areas under university management or affected by university activities.

The policy establishes three principal responsibilities:

Identification → monitoring → protection

These responsibilities provide a framework for ensuring that species of conservation concern and their habitats are considered in university activities.

Identification of Species of Conservation Concern

The first provision requires relevant university units to identify flora and fauna included in the IUCN Red List or national conservation lists when such species have habitats in areas managed by or affected by UNISSULA activities.

The policy states that these species are to be identified within relevant habitats so that their presence can be recognised before or during university activities.

Identification is an essential first step because conservation action depends on knowing which species may occur within an area and understanding where their habitats are located.

The policy therefore establishes the following principle:

Area affected by university activities → identification of flora and fauna → conservation-status assessment → appropriate management response

IUCN Red Listed Species

The policy explicitly refers to the IUCN Red List.

This ensures that species recognised internationally as being of conservation concern are included within UNISSULA’s biodiversity-protection framework.

Where an IUCN Red Listed species is identified in an area managed by or affected by university activities, its presence and habitat are to be considered in environmental management and protection measures.

The policy does not assume that every university site contains an IUCN Red Listed species. Instead, it establishes the institutional requirement to identify and respond appropriately if such species are present.

National Conservation List Species

The policy also covers flora and fauna included in national conservation lists.

This ensures that biodiversity protection is not limited to international conservation classifications.

Species recognised under national conservation frameworks are also included within the university’s identification, monitoring, and protection responsibilities.

This dual approach enables UNISSULA to consider both:

International conservation status + national conservation status

when managing biodiversity in areas associated with university operations.

Habitats Affected by University Operations

The policy applies not only to species located directly within the main campus.

It specifically covers habitats in areas that are:

• Under university management; or
• Affected by university activities.

This broader scope is important because university operations can extend through education, research, community engagement, infrastructure, field activities, and institutional partnerships.

The policy therefore recognises that biodiversity responsibility may extend beyond formally owned campus land to other locations where university activities can affect terrestrial habitats.

Regular Monitoring of Conservation Species

Identification alone is not sufficient.

The second provision requires the presence and condition of conservation species and their habitats to be monitored periodically.

Monitoring may be conducted through:

• Inventories
• Direct observation
• Appropriate recording according to local conditions

These requirements are stated directly in the Circular Letter.

Periodic monitoring enables the university to observe changes in species presence, habitat condition, or environmental pressures over time.

Monitoring Species and Their Habitats Together

The policy does not treat species separately from their habitats.

Both the species and the condition of their habitats are included within the monitoring requirement.

This is important because the long-term survival of flora and fauna depends on the ecological conditions required for feeding, shelter, reproduction, movement, and other biological functions.

The monitoring framework can therefore be described as:

Species presence → habitat condition → periodic observation → recording → conservation response

Biodiversity Inventories

Inventory activities provide one method for implementing the monitoring policy.

An inventory can document the flora and fauna present within an area and provide a reference for future monitoring.

Where relevant, conservation status can then be compared with the IUCN Red List and applicable national conservation lists.

Repeated inventories can also help identify changes over time and provide information for environmental management.

Field Observation

Direct field observation is another monitoring mechanism recognised in the policy.

Observation can help document:

• Species occurrence
• Habitat use
• Visible environmental changes
• Disturbance
• Habitat degradation
• Other conditions relevant to conservation

The policy allows monitoring approaches to be adapted to the environmental characteristics of each location rather than requiring one identical method for every site.

Recording and Documentation

The policy also allows appropriate recording of conservation observations.

Documentation is important for establishing an institutional record of biodiversity conditions and supporting future comparisons.

Records can assist university units in determining whether further monitoring, habitat management, or protective action is required.

The combination of inventory, observation, and recording creates a practical framework for biodiversity monitoring.

Protection of Conservation Species

The third provision of the policy requires species of conservation concern and their habitats to be protected from activities that may threaten their sustainability.

The Circular Letter specifically refers to protection from activities that may cause:

• Habitat damage
• Disturbance
• Population decline
• Other threats to species sustainability

This makes protection an explicit institutional responsibility rather than limiting the policy to identification and documentation.

Habitat Protection

Protecting conservation species requires protection of the habitats on which they depend.

For this reason, the policy explicitly includes both species and their habitats.

The institutional approach can be represented as:

Identify species → monitor species and habitat → detect threats → protect habitat and species

This helps ensure that conservation measures address ecological conditions rather than focusing only on individual organisms.

Preventing Habitat Damage

University-related activities that could cause habitat damage need to consider the possible presence of conservation species.

Where such species or important habitats are identified, appropriate action should seek to avoid or reduce negative impacts.

The policy therefore supports a preventive approach in which biodiversity considerations are incorporated before environmental degradation becomes severe.

Preventing Disturbance

Disturbance can affect conservation species even when habitat is not physically removed.

The policy consequently includes protection from activities that may disturb species or affect their ability to continue using their habitats.

This provides a broader protection framework than simply preventing vegetation clearance.

Preventing Population Decline

The Circular Letter explicitly identifies population decline as an outcome that should be prevented.

This connects university biodiversity management with the long-term sustainability of conservation species.

Where monitoring indicates threats that could contribute to population decline, the policy provides a basis for protective action.

Protection from Other Conservation Threats

The policy also includes other threats that may affect the continued sustainability of conservation species.

This wording allows the policy to respond to different environmental conditions and emerging threats without restricting protection to a single type of impact.

The approach therefore remains applicable across different locations and types of university activity.

Relationship between Identification, Monitoring, and Protection

The three policy responsibilities are designed to operate together.

Identification determines whether conservation species may be present.

Monitoring provides information about their continued presence and habitat condition.

Protection responds to threats or risks that could negatively affect those species or their habitats.

The complete framework is:

Identify → monitor → evaluate condition → protect → continue monitoring

This creates an ongoing rather than one-time approach to biodiversity conservation.

Application across University Units

Circular Letter No. 9022/J/SA/IX/2025 is addressed to university leadership across faculties, bureaus, institutes, technical implementation units, administrative units, and other relevant organisational structures.

The policy therefore establishes biodiversity protection as an institution-wide responsibility.

Relevant units are expected to consider species conservation when their activities interact with habitats under university management or habitats that may be affected by university operations.

Supporting Responsible University Activities

UNISSULA undertakes a range of activities that may interact with natural environments, including:

• Education
• Research
• Community service
• Infrastructure and facilities management
• Field-based activities
• Institutional collaboration

The conservation policy provides a common framework for ensuring that these activities consider the possible presence of protected or threatened species.

This helps integrate biodiversity considerations into university operations.

Policy Adopted in 2025

Circular Letter No. 9022/J/SA/IX/2025 was formally issued on 11 September 2025.

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

The policy establishes a formal university framework for identifying, monitoring, and protecting conservation species and their habitats.

Evidence of Policy

UNISSULA’s policy establishes the following requirements:

1. Identification — Flora and fauna included in the IUCN Red List or national conservation lists are to be identified where their habitats occur in areas managed by or affected by university activities.
2. Monitoring — The presence and condition of conservation species and their habitats are to be monitored periodically through inventories, observations, or appropriate recording.
3. Protection — Conservation species and their habitats are to be protected from habitat damage, disturbance, population decline, and other threats to their sustainability.