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Projects must conserve 100% of special status vegetation. This means that all vegetation classified as special-status due to its rarity, ecological importance, or legal protection must remain intact.

Healthy habitat A healthy habitat supports a diverse community of plants, animals, and microorganisms while protecting soil health and structure, which are essential for thriving ecosystems. Well-preserved habitats minimize resource use by naturally controlling erosion, stabilizing soils, and reducing the need for replanting or extensive maintenance. Healthy ecosystems also mitigate climate change by acting as carbon sinks, absorbing billions of metric tons of CO2 annually. [50] They manage water flow, reduce runoff impact, and trap harmful substances before they cause damage. Vegetation slows rainwater, allowing it to infiltrate the soil and reduce runoff. Additionally, healthy soil with well-structured porosity filters out nutrients and pollutants before they reach rivers, lakes, or groundwater, and helps retain natural fertility, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.

Project teams must establish an exclusion zone around healthy habitats to protect them from construction activities and other disturbances. It is also recommended to include special status vegetation within the exclusion zone. Teams must establish clear construction boundaries to minimize disturbances to ecosystems.

Invasive vegetation Preserving vegetation biodiversity enhances a site’s ecological value. It is essential to plant adapted and native vegetation to support the health and functionality of ecological systems. Projects must remove invasive species, as these species can prevent ecological systems from recovering and thriving, and they compete with and harm native flora and fauna, crops, fisheries, and forests. Invasive species can be difficult to eliminate and can have severe consequences for natural areas once established. Effective control and management are essential to reduce the spread of established invasive species. The most effective method for managing an invasive species is to prevent its arrival.

Project teams must identify invasive species on a site and only include native and adapted vegetation and ensure that no planted vegetation is classified as an invasive species at the time of installation. It must be native or adapted to the project’s EPA Level III ecoregion, or local equivalent for projects outside of the U.S. [51] Teams must determine their presence by conducting a thorough site survey, paying attention to areas with special status vegetation and healthy habitats. If protected areas contain invasive species, teams must remove and control them

50 United Nations Development Programme, (2023, October 25), Forests can help us limit climate change – here is how, climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/forests-can-help-us-limit-climate-change-here-how. 51 Level III and IV Ecoregions by state | US EPA, (2024, January 2), US EPA, epa.gov/eco-research/level-iii-and-iv-ecoregions-state.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Building Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 108