Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) has a formal policy framework to prevent, control, and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystems on its campuses and in the UNHAS Educational Forest at Bengo-Bengo, Maros, a Special Purpose Forest Area (Kawasan Hutan dengan Tujuan Khusus, KHDTK). The framework is set out in three Rector’s Regulations, all of which remain in force:

1. Rector’s Regulation No. 11/UN4.1/2022 on Guidelines for the Arrangement of Campus Space and Building Utilisation. Article 2(5) regulates the monitoring and supervision of the spread of alien species on campus, including:
   • Supervision of introductions: strict supervision of the planting, introduction, and keeping of alien flora and fauna that could damage local ecosystems.
   • Use of native flora: priority use of native flora in campus landscape design, limits on exotic plants, and protection of rare or endangered local species.
   • Protection of campus aquatic ecosystems: supervision and protection of water bodies, such as campus lakes, canals, and waterways, from the encroachment of alien aquatic species.
   • Biomonitoring and access control: periodic monitoring of changes in the composition of flora and fauna, and restrictions on modes of transport that could carry alien species onto campus.
2. Rector’s Regulation No. 43/UN4.1/2019 on Guidelines for the Protection and Conservation of Biodiversity and Its Ecosystems and the Prevention of Invasive Species at the Hasanuddin University Campus, which provides for:
   • the protection of campus biodiversity and ecosystems through the harmonious and sustainable use of biological resources that maintains ecosystem balance;
   • special protection for species with conservation status, particularly those on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and nationally protected species;
   • the prevention and control of invasive species to reduce their negative impacts on ecosystems, the environment, the economy, and human health; and
   • a ban on exploiting protected plants and animals, including taking, damaging, felling, capturing, killing, keeping, transporting, or trading them, except for specific purposes such as research, science, or rescue in line with applicable regulations.
3. Rector’s Regulation No. 41/UN4.1/2023 on Guidelines for the Management of the Educational Forest as a Special Purpose Forest Area. Article 8(e) requires the forest ecosystem to be protected against invasive alien species, and Article 14 sets operational procedures for handling them:
   • Risk analysis and status determination: risk analysis and determination of the invasive risk status of particular species (Article 14(3)).
   • Eradication and population control: once a species is determined to be invasive, its spread is handled through eradication or population control (Article 14(4)), to keep the forest ecosystem native and prevent harm to biodiversity and health (Article 14(1)).

Implementation and scientific evidence. Field research on campus supports the supervision policy. A 2025 study of the types and distribution of invasive understorey plants on the UNHAS campus (Elmita, 2025) recorded 36 understorey plant species, 23 of which were confirmed as invasive. These data give UNHAS a scientific baseline for designing vegetation management and invasive species control.