Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) maintains an institutional policy to reduce the ecological impact of alien flora and fauna on the university campus, with particular attention to protecting local species, habitats, and ecosystem balance.

The policy is established through UNISSULA Circular Letter No. 9025/J/SA/IX/2025, dated 11 September 2025. It requires university units and relevant parties to manage alien species responsibly through controlled introduction, monitoring, prevention of spread, and appropriate control measures where ecological impacts occur.

Institutional Management of Alien Species

UNISSULA recognises that the introduction or spread of alien flora and fauna may affect local biodiversity and ecological balance if not appropriately managed.

For this reason, the university’s policy establishes a preventive and responsive framework based on:

Controlled introduction → Monitoring → Prevention of spread → Impact reduction

The policy applies to alien flora and fauna introduced, planted, released, or found within the campus environment.

Its primary objective is to minimise potential negative effects on local species, habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability.

Controlled Introduction of Alien Flora and Fauna

The first provision of the policy addresses the introduction of alien species.

The procurement, planting, or release of alien flora and fauna on campus must be conducted in a controlled manner, with consideration given to their potential effects on:

• Local species
• Local habitats
• Ecosystem balance

This requirement is explicitly stated in the Circular Letter.

This preventive approach allows potential ecological risks to be considered before alien plants or animals become established within the campus environment.

Protecting Local Species

The policy places local biodiversity at the centre of alien-species management.

Before alien flora or fauna are introduced, their possible effects on existing local species must be considered.

This approach supports the continued presence of native and locally established biodiversity within campus green areas.

The underlying principle is:

Alien species introduction → Ecological consideration → Protection of local species

Protecting Campus Habitats

Alien species management is not limited to individual plants or animals.

The policy also explicitly considers potential impacts on habitats.

Campus habitats may include green spaces, planted areas, tree-covered areas, gardens, and other vegetated environments that support biodiversity.

Protecting these habitats helps maintain the ecological conditions required by local flora and fauna.

Maintaining Ecosystem Balance

The policy also requires consideration of the potential effect of alien species on ecosystem balance.

This recognises that ecological impacts can extend beyond competition between individual species.

Changes in vegetation, habitat structure, resource availability, or species interactions may influence the wider campus ecosystem.

For this reason, UNISSULA seeks to manage alien species before significant ecological disturbance occurs.

Monitoring Alien Species on Campus

The second policy provision requires alien species that may cause disturbance to campus ecosystems to be monitored.

Monitoring enables the university to observe whether alien species are spreading or creating negative effects on local biodiversity.

The Circular Letter requires potentially disruptive alien species to be monitored and controlled in order to prevent their spread and reduce negative impacts.

The management process can therefore be represented as:

Presence of alien species → Monitoring → Assessment of ecological impact → Control where necessary

Preventing the Spread of Alien Species

Preventing unnecessary spread is a central part of the policy.

Where an alien species has the potential to disturb the campus ecosystem, management measures should prevent it from spreading into additional areas.

This is particularly important because ecological impacts can become more difficult to manage once a species becomes widely established.

The university therefore prioritises early monitoring and control rather than waiting until ecological impacts become severe.

Reducing Negative Impacts on Local Biodiversity

The second provision directly links alien-species control with the protection of local biodiversity.

Monitoring and control are intended not only to restrict the spread of alien species, but also to reduce negative effects on local flora, fauna, and habitats.

This establishes a clear institutional relationship:

Alien species management → Reduction of ecological impact → Protection of local biodiversity

Response to Ecological Impacts

The third policy provision addresses situations in which an alien species has already caused, or is causing, ecological impacts.

Where such impacts are identified, appropriate management actions may include:

• Control
• Restriction
• Relocation
• Other appropriate measures

These actions are intended to protect local species and campus habitats.

This ensures that the policy includes not only prevention but also corrective action.

Appropriate Control Measures

Alien species do not necessarily require the same management response in every situation.

The Circular Letter therefore allows different forms of intervention depending on ecological conditions.

Possible responses include controlling numbers or distribution, restricting further spread, relocating organisms where appropriate, or applying other management measures suited to the situation.

This flexible approach enables the university to respond proportionately to actual ecological impacts.

Protection of Campus Biodiversity

The alien-species policy forms part of UNISSULA’s broader approach to maintaining biodiversity within the campus environment.

Campus biodiversity includes the interaction between:

Local flora + Local fauna + Vegetation + Habitat + Soil and water conditions + Ecological processes

Alien species management helps protect these relationships by reducing ecological pressures that may affect existing species or habitats.

Prevention before Ecological Damage

An important characteristic of the policy is its emphasis on prevention.

The university does not rely solely on removing or controlling alien species after environmental damage occurs.

Instead, the policy begins at the point of procurement, planting, or release.

This provides a management hierarchy:

Prevent → Monitor → Contain → Control impacts

Such an approach supports more responsible campus biodiversity management.

Campus-Wide Institutional Responsibility

Circular Letter No. 9025/J/SA/IX/2025 is addressed to leadership across faculties, bureaus, institutes, technical implementation units, administrative units, and other organisational structures within UNISSULA.

Alien-species management is therefore treated as an institutional responsibility rather than an issue limited to a single unit.

This is relevant to units responsible for:

• Landscaping and green spaces
• Campus facilities
• Construction and renovation
• Procurement
• Environmental management
• Other activities that may involve plants or animals

Responsible Landscaping and Plant Selection

Campus landscaping is one area where alien-species considerations are especially relevant.

The policy requires the introduction and planting of alien flora to be controlled and assessed for potential effects on local biodiversity.

This encourages responsible selection of vegetation for gardens, green spaces, and landscape development.

The objective is not simply to increase the amount of vegetation, but to ensure that landscaping does not create unnecessary ecological risks.

Alien Fauna Management

The policy also includes alien fauna.

Any release or introduction of alien animals on campus should be managed carefully, with consideration of potential effects on local species and habitats.

If alien fauna are found to cause ecological disturbance, appropriate controls may be applied in accordance with the policy.

This ensures that both flora and fauna are covered within the university’s biodiversity management framework.

Relationship with Habitat Conservation

Reducing alien-species impacts contributes directly to habitat protection.

Local habitats can be affected when alien species dominate vegetation, compete for resources, disturb ecological interactions, or alter environmental conditions.

By monitoring and controlling potentially harmful alien species, UNISSULA supports the continued ecological functioning of campus habitats.

Policy Adopted in 2025

Circular Letter No. 9025/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, establishing institutional authority for alien-species management across the university.

Evidence of Policy

UNISSULA’s alien-species policy establishes three principal requirements:

1. Controlled introduction — Procurement, planting, or release of alien flora and fauna on campus must consider potential impacts on local species, habitats, and ecosystem balance.
2. Monitoring and prevention of spread — Alien species that may disturb campus ecosystems must be monitored and controlled to prevent spread and reduce negative impacts on local biodiversity.
3. Ecological impact reduction — Where alien species cause ecological impacts, appropriate control, restriction, relocation, or other management measures should be undertaken to protect local species and campus habitats.