A CASE STUDIES COMPARISON ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

JESSICA SLADE / LAURA ABBEY / LUCY GRIEVE

LAND 1351LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT 2

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

Case Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

“the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged

or destroyed” (Society for Ecological Restoration, 2004, p.3)

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

Case Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

CASE STUDIES ARE EXAMPLES OF DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS THAT HAVE BEEN RESTORED TO VARYING DEGREES

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

• Located in Wakeley, Fairfield, in Sydney’s outer west

• Part of the Georges River catchment

• Completed in 2000• Project was inspired by

a series of community arts projects, which marked the course of Clear Paddock Creek. Called ‘Memory Lane’ Mossop, E. 2006, ‘Restoring the Waters Clear Paddock Creek’ in Contemporary

Australian Landscape Design, BP Latitude, Australia

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

• Project costed approximately $1 million

• Funded by grants from authorities such as: the NSW Environmental Protection Authority, State government agencies and continued maintenance by Fairfield City Council.

• Project involved the removal of 2.5km of concrete-lined stormwater channel and the reinstatement of a natural creek system integrated with cycleways, pathways and public recreational areas. Mossop, E. 2006, ‘Restoring the Waters Clear Paddock Creek’ in Contemporary

Australian Landscape Design, BP Latitude, Australia

Case Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

• Located in suburban Adelaide, South Australia

• Follows 50 km of open greenway located along the Torrens River

• Completed in 2008• Listed on the Australian

Heritage Commission’s Register for its historical, cultural and environmental values

Bull, C. 2002, New Conversations with an Old Landscape: Landscape architecture in Contemporary Australia, Images Publishing Group, Australia, pp. 84-86

Case Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

• US $20 million• Sector-by-sector approach

facilitated the management of State and Local Government investments

• Concept was to create a recreation and wildlife corridor , acknowledging that it will never become a ‘pristine’ environment, due to its history

Bull, C. 2002, New Conversations with an Old Landscape: Landscape architecture in Contemporary Australia, Images Publishing Group, Australia, pp. 84-86

LEGAL ISSUES

• Southern Sydney Regional Environmental Plan identifyed stormwater pollution as the 2nd major environmental concern in the George’s River catchment

• Fairfield Local Council chose Clear Paddock Creek for the ‘Restoring the Waters’ project

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

LEGAL ISSUES

• River Torrens Acquisition Act 1970: allowed the government to widen the river

• South Australian 1993 Environmental Protection Act: flood mitigation, water quality &waste disposal.

• Catchment Management Levee: improve water quality

• Planning and Development Act: Open space corridor

Case Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

SUSTAINABILITY

• ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ (Thompson, I. 2007)

THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK Bull, C. 2002, New Conversations with an Old Landscape: Landscape architecture in Contemporary Australia, Images Publishing Group, Australia, pp. 84-86

SUSTAINABILITY

• Similarities:– both case studies are concerned with waterways, stormwater

run off, flood control and return the waterway to a natural sustainable system

• Differences:– Case study one: concerned with stormwater management– Case study two: concerned with creating a green corridor

which caters for both human use, habitat conservation, improving water quality and flood control.

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENTCase Study 2: THE RIVER TORRENS LINEAR PARK

• Essential to have both local and state government support

• plus• The community’s support in

changing attitudes into caring for the waterway and the living resources it supports

Case Study 1: CLEAR PADDOCK CREEK

• Landscape Architects worked in a team alongside hydrologist, river engineers, fluvial geomorphologist, habitat ecologist & artists.

• Consultation: community meetings, surveys, discussions between the council and community groups & public exhibitions of the plans

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT• Both case studies fall under the same

management sector:– Riparian and stream management

• The various programs under this sector include: – River– Stream– Floodplain– Wetland restoration

SUMMARY• Clear Paddock Creek:

– Concrete channel was successfully transformed into a living and functioning riparian landscape

• The River Torrens Linear Park– Although the river has not been completely restored to its original

condition, the greenway is a significant stepping stone in working to improve the environmental health of the waterway

• From both case studies it can be seen that ecological restoration is possible provided there is support from the community, governments and other organisations

A CASE STUDIES COMPARISON ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

JESSICA SLADE / LAURA ABBE Y / LUCY GRIEVE

LAND 1351LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT

ASSESSMENT 2

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