Our project is on a previously developed urban site that was covered with buildings and asphalt or concrete pavement such that it was 100% impervious. The new development restores over 50% of the remaining open space, after the building has been built, to landscape. The landscape consists of trees, shrubs and grass. We would like to better understand what is meant by adapted vegetation. We believe that we are meeting the intent of the credit by providing habitat and promoting biodiversity in an area that had none; however we are not sure how important it is to plant native or adapted vegetation to get the credit and we are not sure what would be construed as adapted vegetation.
The LEED Reference Guide (formatted version of June 2001) states on page 41 to "Restore the native landscape of the site by preserving and planting native species to re-establish pre-development site conditions. Restoration efforts will vary depending on the particular project site." Because your project site is a previously developed urban site, it may be difficult to determine the pre-development landscape conditions. The LEED requirements for this credit should read "adaptive" instead of "adapted" vegetation. The essential idea is to promote habitats through plantings that will adapt to conditions and offer the necessary resilience to sustain those habitats. Native plants will better fit the local climate and provide a more nurturing habitat for wildlife that is less likely to require the use of pesticides, herbicides, and permanent irrigation. Therefore, it is important to specify native species of plants to help restore habitat. The trees, shrubs and grass that your project has specified should include native species and this should be marked on the submitted drawings and described in the narrative. Applicable internationally.