Last updated on Jun 7, 2024

How can land reclamation integrate green infrastructure and ecosystem services?

Land reclamation is the process of creating new land from the sea, rivers, lakes, or other water bodies. It is often used for urban development, agriculture, or infrastructure purposes, but it also poses significant environmental and social challenges. How can land reclamation integrate green infrastructure and ecosystem services, and what are the benefits and trade-offs of doing so? In this article, you will learn about the concepts and examples of green infrastructure and ecosystem services, and how they can be applied to land reclamation projects.

1 What is green infrastructure?

Green infrastructure is a network of natural and semi-natural features that provide multiple benefits for people and the environment. It can include parks, wetlands, forests, green roofs, gardens, or permeable pavements. Green infrastructure can enhance the quality and functionality of reclaimed land by reducing stormwater runoff, improving air quality, moderating temperatures, creating habitats, and promoting recreation and well-being.

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Liam Anderson

Senior Sustainability Advisor at Footprint Recycling
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Incorporate natural elements such as wetlands, forests, and grasslands into the reclaimed land. Mimicking natural ecosystems helps restore biodiversity and provides habitat for wildlife.

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Vikram Verma

Category Manager @ G-Next | MSMS, Retail Merchandising
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Land reclamation can effectively integrate green infrastructure and ecosystem services by: Green Spaces: Incorporating parks, green roofs, and urban forests to enhance biodiversity and air quality. Natural Habitats: Restoring wetlands, coastal areas, and forests to support wildlife and regulate water flow. Sustainable Drainage Systems: Urban Agriculture: Recreational Areas: By combining land reclamation with green infrastructure and ecosystem services, we can create resilient, healthy, and sustainable urban environments for all! 🌿🌳 #LandReclamation #GreenInfrastructure #EcosystemServices #Sustainability #UrbanPlanning #Biodiversity #ClimateResilience

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Leneka T. Rhoden

Renewable Energy | Ocean Governance l Climate Mitigation and Adaptation | Environmental Management Specialist (MPAs, EIAs)
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Green infrastructure offers practical solutions to environmental challenges; it is the blending of natural elements like parks, wetlands, and green roofs into our urban and rural landscapes. In Bridgetown, Barbados, for example, initiatives such as permeable pavements and revitalized parks address issues like flooding and air pollution while providing spaces for relaxation and recreation. Similarly, in rural areas, efforts to protect mangroves in Belize and establish community gardens contribute to biodiversity and climate resilience.

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2 What are ecosystem services?

Ecosystem services are the benefits that people obtain from nature, such as food, water, climate regulation, pollination, or cultural values. Ecosystem services can be classified into four categories: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural. Ecosystem services can be affected by land reclamation, either positively or negatively, depending on the design and management of the reclaimed land. For example, land reclamation can increase the provision of food or energy, but also reduce the regulation of water quality or erosion.

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Michelle Mausolf

Project Manager, P. Biol., RPBio, CPESC
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Ecosystem services also benefit wildlife and local hydrological and nutrient regimes. Impacts and benefits beyond what humans receive should be considered in environmental design processes.

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3 How to assess green infrastructure and ecosystem services?

To integrate green infrastructure and ecosystem services into land reclamation, it is important to assess their current and potential values, as well as their trade-offs and synergies. There are various methods and tools to measure and map green infrastructure and ecosystem services, such as indicators, models, surveys, or participatory approaches. These methods can help to identify the most suitable locations, types, and scales of green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation projects.

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4 How to design green infrastructure and ecosystem services?

To design green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation, it is essential to consider the site-specific conditions, objectives, and stakeholders. There are different principles and guidelines to follow, such as applying the ecosystem approach, maximizing multifunctionality, enhancing connectivity, ensuring adaptability, and involving the public. Some examples of green infrastructure and ecosystem services design for land reclamation are artificial islands with mangroves, wetlands, or coral reefs; coastal protection with dunes, vegetation, or breakwaters; or urban development with green spaces, blue corridors, or green roofs.

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Steven Greenleaf

Director at Greenleaf Education Costa Rica, S.A, & President at Fundación Esperanza Aplicada
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The lowest hanging fruit is to focus on reuse and restoration of brown field sites, as is often true in green building. An impaired site can be made useful, restorative, beneficial, and even profitable.

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5 How to implement green infrastructure and ecosystem services?

To implement green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation, it is necessary to have a clear and coherent planning and governance framework, as well as adequate resources and capacities. Some of the key aspects to consider are the legal and institutional arrangements, the financing and incentive mechanisms, the monitoring and evaluation systems, and the stakeholder engagement and communication strategies. These aspects can facilitate or hinder the implementation of green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation projects.

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Steven Greenleaf

Director at Greenleaf Education Costa Rica, S.A, & President at Fundación Esperanza Aplicada
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Implementation is where you meet overall governance structure head on and if you're working in a weak, corrupt governance structure it's virtually impossible to succeed. Politics and the real political environment must be addressed. Public sector procurement policies and procedures, state bureaucracy, corruption, and lack of transparency often kill green projects in developing nations. There may not be solutions to this without public sector reform.

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6 How to learn from green infrastructure and ecosystem services?

To learn from green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation, it is useful to share and exchange knowledge and experiences among different actors and sectors. There are various platforms and networks to support learning and innovation, such as online databases, case studies, best practices, or communities of practice. These platforms and networks can help to improve the understanding, awareness, and appreciation of green infrastructure and ecosystem services for land reclamation projects.

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