This credit promotes biodiversity by encouraging project teams to protect existing native habitat or restore the site with native species.

How you go about earning this credit will depend on the existing conditions of your project site. If you have a greenfield site—one that has not been built, graded, or otherwise altered by direct human activity—you are required to limit site disturbance during construction.

If your site has been previously developed, you must protect or restore 50% of the total site area, minus building footprint, with native or adapted vegetation. 

Don’t confuse with SSc5.2

It’s easy to confuse the requirements of this credit, SSc5.1, and those of SSc5.2: Site Development—Maximize Open Space. While they both have the stated intent of promoting biodiversity, they’re actually quite different.  

This credit focuses on protecting and restoring native habitat or limiting construction disturbance—depending on existing project conditions. Use of native or adapted species in landscaping is a key aspect of this credit.

SSc5.2, on the other hand, is aimed at increasing open space relative to local zoning requirements. It has no requirements for native vegetation—turf grass and even pedestrian-oriented hardscape could apply—and does not put restrictions on construction site disturbance. 

What’s a green roof got to do it?

If your project is previously developed and earning SSc2: Development Density and Community Connectivity, you are allowed to include a vegetated roof with native or adapted species in your calculations. In this case 20% of the site are, including building footprint, must be vegetated. 

This clause allows dense urban sites to earn this credit even though they may not have enough exterior site area to qualify otherwise. In order to comply with SSc5.1, green roofs must provide a diversity of native or adapted species that provide habitat. Urban projects approaching zero-lot-line may find a green roof their only means of credit compliance.

Potential conflicts on previously developed sites

If you have a previously developed site, you might have a harder time with this credit if the nature of your project requires you to have a large surface parking area. Previously developed projects that can limit surface parking will have a much easier time.

Also on previously developed sites, if the project owner or developer desires non-native landscaping over a significant portion of a site, such as lush greenery in an arid climate, this may also present difficulties—with this credit as well as with WEc1: Water Efficient Landscaping.

Greenfield sites can also be a challenge

Meeting the requirements for a greenfield site can be challenging due to the limited range of site disturbance permitted under the credit. For example, the limited buffers allowed for site disturbance may make contractors want to avoid this credit, because of the large turning radius of construction equipment.

Successful construction and development within these strict parameters is not standard practice—it will require careful mapping of the site plan to identify allowable areas for disturbance, and staking out the site to clearly communicate construction boundaries to all teams working onsite. 

The contractor has such an important role in executing the credit that making credit compliance a contractual obligation is important.