Ecological Restoration
“Make soil not war,” says Richard Hebda (2006) of the Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria. According to Hebda, ecological restoration is a fundamental movement and shift in understanding the world. It means understanding – and living – the biophysical connectedness of life; ecological integrity; human embeddedness in nature. With the tools and perspective of ecological restoration, we are empowered to live in the land, and not just on it. People are part of ecosystems – and not just problems or problem-fixers. (Richard Hebda spoke at the 10th Anniversary conference of Restoration of Natural Systems program at the University of Victoria, October 2006).
According to the Society for Ecological Restoration: "Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.” The SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration (2004) is available online at http://www.ser.org/content/ecological_restoration_primer.asp#3
Art as Ecological Restoration: Revival Field by Mel Chin
“The research and testing of a new "green remediation" technology has advanced from laboratory to field, thanks to an important contribution from an unlikely source – an artist. Green remediation refers to the use of plants to remove heavy metals from contaminated soil. When New York sculptor Mel Chin read about hyperaccumulator plants, he was struck by the poetic nature of this process. So he conceived a sculpture in which plants and biotechnology would replace chisels and marble. Chin says the aesthetic of "Revival Field," the name for the field trials project, ‘relates to my interest in alchemy and my understanding of transformative processes and the mutable nature of materials. The contaminated soil is transformed back into rich earth, capable of sustaining a diverse ecosystem.’”
http://www.satorimedia.com/fmraWeb/chin.htm
Mel Chin, “Revival Field,” schematic drawing, 1990
Graphite, ink and photocopied images on rag board, 24 x 36”. Image is located at http://www.pbs.org/art21/slideshow/popup.php?slide=493
"We live in a world of pollution with heavy metals saturating the soil, where there is no solution to that. If that (pollution) could be carved away, and life could return to that soil, then a diverse and ecologically balanced life, then that is a wonderful sculpture."
Read an interview with Mel Chin and watch a 1-minute cartoon that explains the science at http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/chin/clip2.html#
Ecological Restoration Guidelines for B.C. are available online at http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/fia/TERP_eco_rest_guidelines/intro/index.html
Planting programs must be conducted when the conditions are optimum for plant growth. Avoid times when the newly planted materials will be stressed due to lack of moisture. Photo by Dave Polster on http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/fia/TERP_eco_rest_guidelines/planning/prescriptions.htm
An ecological restoration project may involve revegetating stream corridors. See http://members.shaw.ca/nativeplants/streamside_revegetation.html
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