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Supporting land ecosystems through education

USU is committed to supporting conservation programs and sustainable land use, including forests and wild land. This can be seen in the programs and activities carried out. In 2021, USU carried out 45 activities that can be classified into several groups, namely: (a) Conferences, (b) General Lectures, (c) Focus Group Discussions (FGD), (d) Community Services, and (e) Competition at local, national, and international levels.

As an initiative to change the behaviour and awareness of young people towards the concept of sustainability from an early age, in 2021, USU held a joint online workshop with students from 18 universities from 7 countries participating. The topics discussed were deforestation and certification in the sustainable palm oil supply chain.ment, max length 1000 character

USU has been seen concerned to sustainable food since 2015 through the USU Long Term Planning 2015 – 2039. In the USU Long-Term Work Plan 2015-2039 , in the 5th work program, it is stated that to prepare a competitive learning system, USU will effectively utilize experimental gardens in the Tambunan A Langkat Area and Bekala Baru Campus, Educational Forests in Karo Highland, and also the Animal Farm as a show house and natural laboratory for intensive and continuous learning and research. The Tambunan A Plantation in Langkat Regency, North Sumatra, has an area of ​​600 hectares that can be used as a plantation business area and an area of ​​1,000 hectares that can be used as an educational forest. Beside that, USU is also facilitated with the experimental gardens in the campus area.

This is in line with the USU Strategic Plan 2020–2024 where USU will focus on the construction and development of the Tambunan Experimental Garden Area. There are several programs conducted to disseminating information related to the development of food security, such as the International Conference on Agriculture, Environment, and Food Security (AEFS) which has been regularly held every year since 2017, and also community service programs. USU also established the Tuber Study Center, a forum for lecturers to conduct research and development on the utilization of tubers, especially tubers specific to North Sumatra as a sustainable food source.

USU has an ex-situ conservation area in front of the Central Administration Bureau office yard. In this ex-situ, there are Sambars Deer (Cervus unicolor) and various types of birds and geese. USU also have an arboretum with a diverse collection of flora.

USU plays a direct role in the Sumatran Orangutan and the Tapanuli Orangutan Conservation Program. In 2021, USU, through the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, signed the partnership agreement with the Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari and agreed to cooperate in the conservation programs in the context of Program Merdeka Belajar – Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) activities.

USU is also collaborating with YOSL-OIC (Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari-Orangutan Information Centre) to increase student awareness and knowledge of biodiversity conservation.

In 2021, USU also established the Center for Excellence in Eucalyptus Innovation which aims to conduct research on the development and utilization of Eucalyptus.

University of Sumatera Utara has positioned its reputation as the university with the strong fundamental of research in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem. USU has faculties that offer major programs related to ecosystems, such as the Faculty of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and also the Graduate School of the Natural Resources Management Study Program. The faculty of Forestry has four departments, namely: (i) Forest Management, (ii) Forest Products Technology, (iii) Silviculture, and (iv)Forest Resource Conservation, while the Faculty of agriculture has several related study programs such as agro-ecotechnology, animal husbandry, and management of aquatic resources.

Free: USU has regular programs for community service managed by LPPM-USU (Community Service Institution of USU). They can join and follow this program freely as the USU's partner. In 2021, USU allocated a fund amount of IDR1,979,950,000 to support community education programs on sustainable land management for agriculture and tourism.

Paid: USU have a Subject of Agroforestry in the Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Forestry as well as an Ethnomusicology Study Program in the Faculty of Culture Studies, Those programs offer students a community engagement program as well as student outreach for developing ecotourism and organic farming.

Supporting Land Ecosystems through Action

USU has Tambunan A Langkat and the new Bekala campus area, the educational forest in Tanah Karo, and the animal farm as a show house and natural laboratory for learning and research. These three locations are used as facilities for the development of conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. This program is also carried out through research activities, where in 2021, USU allocated funds amounting to IDR1,714,460,000 to support research activities related to conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

In 2021, USU through Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences signed an MoU with the Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari for the development of conservation and restoration programs in the MBKM forum.

  • Policy created (yyyy)

    2016
    USU collaborated with stakeholders such as BBTNGL (Gunung Leuser National Park) and communities around the TNGL to ensure the long-term viability of natural resources and ecosystems. In 2016, USU and Gunung Leuser National Park signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The protection, preservation, and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as their ecosystem, will be established in the future as a result of this MoU. USU will take an active role in the management by conducting research, solving problems, and taking action.
  • Policy reviewed (yyyy)

    2019
    To accommodate several important activities that have not been listed in the MoU in 2016, a review was conducted in 2019

USU has several experimental gardens located in Kebun Tambunan A, Langkat Regency, the new Kwala Bekala campus area, an educational forest in Tanah Karo, and a farm as a show house and natural laboratory for learning and research. There are no policies that specifically regulate the identification, monitoring and protection of species on the IUCN Red List and the national conservation list of species. This is because so far, there is no IUCN Red List species or a national species conservation list in the USU campus area. Although not located in an area affected by USU's operations, USU has several researchers/lecturers/experts at the Faculty of Forestry who have done a lot of research related to IUCN Red list species such as elephants and tigers.

The Graduate School of University of Sumatera Utara also collaborates with the Yayasan Gajah Sumatra in conducting joint research, seminars, and learning related to conservation.

  • Policy created (yyyy)

    2016
    USU does not yet have a specific policy that regulates to identify, monitor and protect any IUCN Red Listed species and national conservation list species with habitats in areas affected by the operation of USU. However, some of USU's tri dharma activities have been directed to support this, such as the Basic Forest Protection and Conservation of Natural Resources courses at the Faculty of Forestry.
  • Policy reviewed (yyyy)

    2021
    USU has a Research Master Plan in the form of a 2016-2020 research master plan. In order to accommodate studies on the identification, monitoring and protection of IUCN Red List and national conservation species lists, the Research Master Plan was revised in 2021 and used for 2021–2025.

In the process of planning and developing a new campus, USU has shown a high level of commitment and concern for local biodiversity issues. This is indicated by the existence of a study to take into account local biodiversity through the allocation of an arboretum area of ​​53 hectares in the process of constructing the new Faculty of Forestry building on the Kwala Bekala Campus.

Regulations that specifically regulate the reduction of the impact of species on campus have not been made. Nevertheless, experts, especially with lecturers from the Biology Study Program, Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Agriculture, were involved in the planning and development consultation process on the USU campus, particularly with regard to species. For example, when choosing species to be developed in the campus area to anticipate the impact of foreign species in the campus area.

  • Policy created (yyyy)

    2016
    There is no specific policy related to reducing the impact of alien species. However, research activities at USU listed in the 2016-2020 USU Research Master Plan have accommodated research related to reducing the impact of foreign species.
  • Policy reviewed (yyyy)

    2021
    USU already has a Research Master Plan, starting with the 2016-2020 research master plan. This Research Plan was subsequently revised to accommodate studies on the identification, monitoring and protection of IUCN Red List and national conservation species lists, which were then incorporated into the research master plan for 2021–2025.

USU is consistent in supporting efforts to maintain terrestrial ecosystems through various community service activities. USU through community service activities managed by Community Service Institution (LPPM) collaborates with the local community, e.g. through partnerships, in efforts to maintain shared land ecosystems. One of its activities is to provide assistance to the assisted villages.

Land sensitive waste disposal

The commitment of the University of Sumatera Utara regarding the Implementation of the Green Campus Movement in the University of North Sumatra has been realized with the issuance of Rector's Regulation Number 3 of 2019, where Article 4 Number 1 states that one of the principles that must be achieved in the ecological design component of the environment is the availability of water resource management and waste management. USU has implemented water-saving equipment in new buildings and renovated buildings, and has used sensors based on water-saving devices and automatic watering devices for water use management at the Padang Bulan Campus as a form of implementation of the policy. The Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy also followed up on this policy by implementing a urinal flushing system with a mechanical principle in the men's toilet at the USU Faculty of Pharmacy, where the water to be used will be in accordance with the predetermined dose.

USU has also established a center for SGDs. The SDGs Center is a forum that coordinates the overall implementation of activities in the USU area to then contribute to the achievement of SDGs goals including water quality management.

The implementation of the Green Campus Movement at the University of North Sumatra has been regulated in the USU Rector's Regulation Number 3 of 2019 which consists of 4 chapters and 8 articles. Consumption of bottled drinking water made of single-use plastic and/or plastic bags in the USU environment should not be used, as well as the use of glasses in drinking containers at meetings to reduce the use of water in plastic containers. This is in accordance with Article 7 point 6 of the said Rector's Regulation. Meanwhile, other green movements to save paper, such as the use of back and forth paper, saving tissue paper, as well as regulations related to sorting waste and B3 waste to facilitate the process of transporting and managing waste, have been regulated as Article 7 point 7 which explains the implementation steps. Each faculty and unit at USU makes policies regarding green campuses in their respective work units, such as at the USU Laboratory UPT, where there is a circular from the head of the laboratory to introduce green habits in the implementation of laboratory activities.

USU facilitates dispenser (refillable drinking water) in every working room for lecturers and administrative staff, so there is no need to buy bottled drinks.

  • Policy created (yyyy)

    2019
    This policy was create to support the green campus programs
  • Policy reviewed (yyyy)

    2021
    Policies are reviewed periodically based on the results of the evaluation of programs and activities that have been implemented. USU is committed to continuously improving the implementation of programs that support the reduction of plastic waste in the campus area
     
    2021 
    Forming a USU SDGs Team

USU is very concerned about the waste problem. This is indicated by the issuance of Rector's Regulation No. 3 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of the Green Campus Movement at the University of North Sumatra, especially in Article 7 Paragraph 8 which states that USU is strictly to control the hazardous waste in the university area of USU with the standard of regulation. This policy is implemented by multiple initiatives and supporting facilities.

One of the USU property to support the waste management is a a Temporary Landfill located at USU Gate 4. As a TPS, a temporary waste collection site, It is facilitated with 4 unit of compost bins. The compost bins will proceed organic waste from yards, parks, household waste in campus complexes, lecture living house, canteens, etc. The proceed waste is a compost to fertilize plants in USU's gardens. For supporting waste management in mobility aspect, USU provides garbage carts and L 300 trucks as the transport vehicle. Another Compost Center is located at the Faculty of Agriculture. This facility is built from the aid of Japanese government since 2009 and used for educational and research laboratory.

In addition, USU has also established a USU SDGs center which is a forum for carrying out multidisciplinary research related to SDGs at global, national and local levels, including waste management.

  • Policy created (yyyy)

    2019
    This policy was create to support the green campus programs
  • Policy reviewed (yyyy)

    2021
    Policies are reviewed periodically based on the results of the evaluation of programs and activities that have been implemented. USU is committed to continuously improving the implementation of programs that support the reduction of plastic waste in the campus area
     
    2021 
    Forming a USU SDGs Team