NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
for TEXAS KARST COUNTRY
photo credit: Elenore Goode
NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS
Our beautiful Texas karst country is moving towards rocky desertification.
To reverse this unproductive trend we need to shift our focus from clearing out woody brush to implementing nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions mimic or utilize amenities and processes found in nature and include using woody brush as part of the solution. Applying these strategies to Texas karst country will help reduce erosion, flooding, and fire risk, and increase groundwater storage capacity, biodiversity, and long-term resilience.
To reverse this unproductive trend we need to shift our focus from clearing out woody brush to implementing nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions mimic or utilize amenities and processes found in nature and include using woody brush as part of the solution. Applying these strategies to Texas karst country will help reduce erosion, flooding, and fire risk, and increase groundwater storage capacity, biodiversity, and long-term resilience.
CONTACT US TO SCHEDULE A POWERPOINT TALK
Texas AgriLife/Houston
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Bryan Hummel/Huasteca Research Center
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Andrew Millison/5 Projects
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Nature-based solutions can also be applied to the planning process.
Holistic planning mimics natural ecosystem processes. In nature, nothing happens that doesn't affect the entire system. This problem-solving approach help landowners remain aware of processes, changes, and the impact of their actions as a whole and produces more sustainable results than conventional land management. Many ranchers are turning to holistic management (HM). |
Another nature-based solution involves the simple act of conservation.
We need to locate and set aside healthy Texas karst country into land trusts. Developers need to be encouraged to protect more upland areas with healthy vegetation and soils, not just bottomlands, since that's where erosive runoff begins. |
