Removing concrete can be hard work, literally and figuratively, but it pays off by both protecting nature and fighting climate change. Just ask the Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (CVPWS) who, alongside K’ómoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay, are working to “unpave paradise,” as they poetically put it.
Kus-kus-sum, a former sawmill site at the mouth of the Courtenay River on Vancouver Island’s east coast, was covered by concrete and asphalt, much of it bolstered with rebar and mesh wire.
So they’ve been removing acres of the stuff, recontouring the ground and planting native vegetation to restore crucial habitat while increasing climate resilience through better flood mitigation and carbon storage. (The project is one of six supported by WWF-Canada’s Nature and Climate Grant Program, presented in partnership with Aviva Canada.)
And you can, too! We talked to Caitlin Pierzchalski, an expert in ecological restoration and the Executive Director of the CVPWS, to find out why de-paving works and how to do it to your own piece of paradise.
Kus-kus-sum has been such a success so far! Can this approach also work at people’s homes, workplaces and communities?
Yes! De-paving all or part of any property allows for the rain that falls within the footprint of our property to move into the soil and migrate to local waterways and aquifers. Restoring natural pathways for water to move through our environments can greatly improve water quality, water quantity, and reduce “flashiness” — fast, unexpected flooding events — within our urban creeks and waterways.
Depending on the type of de-paving, you can also improve wildlife habitat and increase carbon sequestration on your property. You can gain a lot of ecological benefits, and much of the time you can gain aesthetic improvements as well.
Sounds great, but how would I start?
Think about what the site you are looking to de-pave will be used for. Is it your driveway, and will you continue to use it for that purpose? Is it a garden or food-growing area? That desired use will influence the approach.
To start, it is good to learn about your subsoil and the permeability of your landscape. If you have good permeability within your landscape, it gives more leniency as you begin to explore de-paving.
Look at how water accumulates and flows on your property. If you have an area that is contributing a lot of water to a local storm sewer, this might be a good site to explore. But it also means you’ll have to consider the impact of erosion and heavy rains on your post-paved space. It’s important to be cognizant of any underground infrastructure, like basements, and the slope of the property, so you aren’t encouraging water flow and infiltration near or into these spaces.
When it comes to actual removal of the hard stuff, what do people need to know?
There are many different strategies for de-paving, and the best approach will depend on your site. What issues are you looking to address with de-paving? How much water are you looking to defer from stormwater infrastructure? Are there any co-benefits — to water filtration, for example, or to wildlife habitats or air quality — that you’d like to integrate? What are the climatic patterns within your region? What is your subsoil, and what are your infiltration rates? All of these will help guide you into finding the best approach for your site.
What should I replace the concrete or asphalt with?
It really depends on your site, what your goals are, and what aesthetic you’d like to achieve. Sand and gravel are great for increasing infiltration of water and keeping the site easy to access or drive over. Plants can help manage water, improve heat islands, increase water filtration and improve biodiversity and habitat value. They can also potentially sequester carbon. You can also look into using the area for food production and increasing your usable garden space.
Is it worth de-paving even a very small space?
I believe that it is. We need to move beyond the simplicity that concrete offers and imagine our spaces in terms of their diversity and ecological values or functions. If we see a great many people using or creating spaces without or with minimal paving, it creates space for us to collectively reimagine how we use and develop our landscapes. Even tiny spaces can defer water from storm sewers and have water quality improvements. Each space matters.
One thing I like to keep in mind for de-paving spaces is cost and effort. If you have a small space, and so does your neighbour, maybe you can de-pave and mobilize the machinery to do it in one go? This will reduce the overall cost and effort, and help make these small changes more sustainable. Or maybe in some cases, it’s more practical to do this by hand, with the help of some friends and family. If that’s the case, starting small will help you trial out methods and achieve your goals more easily than if you take on a big space right away.
Why is this work so important to you?
These small acts show that you are actively integrating both the protection of biodiversity and the mitigation of the effects of climate change into the way you engage with the world around you. Centering these things, and taking steps towards them, can result in huge improvements.
We can’t change everything at once, but we can start making steps with our day-to-day choices and within our personal landscapes. Over time, these can make a big difference.
Learn more about nature-based climate solutions at Kus-kus-sum by watching the video below:
Kuondoa saruji inaweza kuwa kazi ngumu, kihalisi na kwa mfano, lakini inagharimu kwa kulinda asili na kupambana na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. "Kama vile Comox Valley Project Watershed Society (CVPWS) na Kómok First Nation, ""Tunataka kuunda paradiso ya ulimwengu.""" Kuskus-sum, eneo la zamani la kiwanda cha mbao kwenye mdomo wa Mto Courtenay kwenye pwani ya mashariki ya Kisiwa cha Vancouver, lilifunikwa na saruji na lami, sehemu kubwa ya ardhi ilitiwa nguvu na waya wa rebar na mesh. Kwa hiyo wamekuwa wakiondoa ekari za vitu hivyo, wakirekebisha ardhi na kupanda mimea ya asili ili kurudisha makazi muhimu wakati wa kuongeza upinzani wa hali ya hewa kupitia kupunguza mafuriko na kuhifadhi kaboni. Mradi huo ni moja ya miradi sita inayoungwa mkono na WWF Canada's Nature and Climate Grant Program, iliyotolewa kwa ushirikiano na Aviva Canada. Na wewe pia unaweza! "Tumezungumza na Caitlin Pierczalski, mtaalam wa ukarabati wa ikolojia na Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa CVPWS, ili kujua kwa nini ""kuondoa pavement"" inafanya kazi na jinsi ya kufanya hivyo kwa kipande chako cha paradiso." Kus-kus-sum imekuwa na mafanikio makubwa hadi sasa! Je, mbinu hii inaweza pia kufanya kazi katika nyumba za watu, mahali pa kazi na jamii? Ndio! Kuondoa mchanga au sehemu ya mchanga kwenye ardhi huwezesha mvua inayopatikana katika eneo la ardhi yetu kuingia ndani ya udongo na kuhamia kwenye njia za maji na maji ya chini ya ardhi. Kurudisha njia za asili za maji kusafiri kupitia mazingira yetu inaweza kuboresha sana ubora wa maji, wingi wa maji, na kupunguza <unk>flashiness<unk> <unk> matukio ya mafuriko ya haraka, yasiyotarajiwa <unk> ndani ya vijito vyetu vya mijini na njia za maji. Kulingana na aina ya de-paving, unaweza pia kuboresha mazingira ya wanyama wa porini na kuongeza carbon sequestration juu ya mali yako. Unaweza kupata faida nyingi za ikolojia, na mara nyingi unaweza kupata maboresho ya urembo pia. Inaonekana nzuri, lakini ningeanzaje? Fikiria kuhusu nini tovuti wewe ni kuangalia kwa de-pave itatumiwa kwa. Je, ni barabara yako ya kuingia, na je, utaendelea kuitumia kwa kusudi hilo? Je, ni bustani au eneo la kukuza chakula? Matumizi hayo yanayotakiwa yatathmini mbinu. Kwanza, ni vizuri kujifunza kuhusu udongo wako na jinsi mazingira yako yanavyoweza kupenya. Kama una permeability nzuri ndani ya mazingira yako, inatoa leniency zaidi kama wewe kuanza kuchunguza de-paving. Angalia jinsi maji yanavyojikusanya na kutiririka kwenye mali yako. Ikiwa eneo lako lina maji mengi ya maji ya mvua, hii inaweza kuwa mahali pazuri pa kuchunguza. Lakini pia ina maana utakuwa na kuzingatia athari ya mmomonyoko na mvua kubwa juu ya nafasi yako baada ya paved. Ni muhimu kuwa na ufahamu wa miundombinu yoyote ya chini ya ardhi, kama vile vyumba vya chini ya ardhi, na mteremko wa mali, kwa hivyo hauhimizi mtiririko wa maji na kupenya karibu au ndani ya nafasi hizi. Kuhusu kuondoa vitu ngumu, watu wanahitaji kujua nini? Kuna mikakati mingi tofauti ya kuondoa lami, na mbinu bora itategemea tovuti yako. Ni masuala gani unayotafuta kushughulikia kwa kuondoa lami? Ni kiasi gani cha maji unachotaka kuondoa kutoka kwa miundombinu ya maji ya mvua? Je, kuna faida yoyote ya pamoja - kwa filtration maji, kwa mfano, au kwa makazi ya wanyama wa porini au ubora wa hewa - kwamba ungependa kuunganisha? Hali ya hewa katika eneo lenu ni ya aina gani? Ni nini chini ya ardhi yako, na ni nini viwango vyako vya kupenya? Yote haya yatakusaidia kukuongoza katika kupata mbinu bora kwa tovuti yako. Ni nini kinachopaswa kubadilishwa kwa saruji au lami? Ni kweli inategemea tovuti yako, nini malengo yako ni, na nini aesthetic ungependa kufikia. Mchanga na mchanga ni nzuri kwa ajili ya kuongeza infiltration ya maji na kuweka tovuti rahisi kupata au kuendesha gari juu. Mimea inaweza kusaidia kusimamia maji, kuboresha visiwa vya joto, kuongeza usafishaji wa maji na kuboresha utofauti wa kibiolojia na thamani ya makazi. Pia zinaweza kuhifadhi kaboni. Unaweza pia kuangalia katika kutumia eneo kwa ajili ya uzalishaji wa chakula na kuongeza bustani yako kutumika nafasi. Je, inafaa kuondoa lami hata katika eneo dogo sana? Ninaamini kwamba ndivyo ilivyo. Tunahitaji kwenda zaidi ya unyenyekevu ambao saruji inatoa na kufikiria nafasi zetu katika suala la utofauti wao na maadili ya ikolojia au kazi. "Ikiwa tunaona watu wengi wakitumia au kuunda nafasi bila au kwa pavement ndogo, inaunda nafasi kwa ajili yetu kwa pamoja kufikiria upya jinsi tunavyotumia na kuendeleza mandhari yetu. """ Hata maeneo madogo-madogo yanaweza kuondoa maji kutoka kwenye mifereji ya maji machafu na kuboresha ubora wa maji. Kila nafasi ni muhimu. Jambo moja ninapenda kukumbuka kwa ajili ya nafasi de-paving ni gharama na juhudi. Kama una nafasi ndogo, na hivyo ana jirani yako, labda unaweza de-pave na kuhamasisha mashine ya kufanya hivyo katika moja kwenda? Hii itapunguza gharama ya jumla na juhudi, na kusaidia kufanya mabadiliko haya madogo zaidi endelevu. Au labda katika baadhi ya kesi, ni vitendo zaidi kufanya hivyo kwa mkono, kwa msaada wa baadhi ya marafiki na familia. Kama hiyo ni kesi, kuanzia ndogo itakusaidia kujaribu mbinu na kufikia malengo yako kwa urahisi zaidi kuliko kama wewe kuchukua juu ya nafasi kubwa mara moja. Kwa nini kazi hii ni muhimu sana kwako? Hatua hizi ndogo zinaonyesha kwamba unajumuisha kwa bidii ulinzi wa bioanuwai na kupunguza athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa katika njia unayoshughulika nayo na ulimwengu unaokuzunguka. Kuweka mambo haya katikati, na kuchukua hatua kuelekea hayo, kunaweza kusababisha maboresho makubwa. Hatuwezi kubadilisha kila kitu kwa mara moja, lakini tunaweza kuanza kufanya hatua na uchaguzi wetu wa kila siku na ndani ya mandhari yetu ya kibinafsi. Baada ya muda, mambo hayo yanaweza kuwa na matokeo mazuri. Jifunze zaidi juu ya suluhisho la hali ya hewa la asili huko Kus-kus-sum kwa kutazama video hapa chini: