Carey Duncan (Carey Duncan Design ) was honoured to be invited to present at the annual symposium of the Landscape Architects' Chapter of the Architectural Association of Kenya. It was a long-awaited event. postponed from 2020 when COVID put paid to such plans!
Carey delved into Green infrastructure and how trees are a key part of this infrastructure. She discussed the various functions that trees play, which include reducing storm run-off, recharging aquifers, carbon sequestration, air purification, and thermal regulation. She also discussed mangroves and their crucial role in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The importance of ecosystem services was outlined bringing attention to 4 different types:
- provisioning services (providing food, clean water, timber, natural gas, fibres for textile manufacture...)
- regulating services (bacteria to consume waste, cooling the environment, holding earth in place...)
- cultural services (cultural, intellectual and social development....)
supporting services (photosynthesis that produces oxygen, nutrient cycling, the water cycle....)
Carey further urged landscape architects to realise they are in political space and hence they have to find ways of negotiating and claiming their rightful position as key players in environmental conservation and protection.
See more about the symposium: https://mailchi.mp/.../ifla-africa-newsletter-may-edition...
#landscapearchitecture #ecosystems #environmentalconservation #greeninfrastructure #carbonsequestration