Environmental Restoration Using Gabions
Commercial gabion construction (credit: Gabion Supply)
Leonardo da Vinci is famous for his curiosity studying diverse and unrelated subjects: his enigmatic portraits; how the wings of birds functioned; human anatomy; drawings of fanciful and elaborate contraptions from flying machines to military armaments; mountain geology, and the movement of water. His notebooks, of which perhaps only 25% are known to have survived, continue being studied by contemporary investigators in many fields to garner new design insights. An argument could be made that da Vinci was the godfather of biomimicry, geomorphology, and ecological restoration even though none of these disciplines existed in the 15th Century. His illustrations, constructions, and observations flow into each of these contemporary scientific, engineering, and design/build enterprises.
A good environmental example is Leonardo's utilization of the gabion, or what he called a corbeille, 'a basket of stones' in Italian. As the translation indicates, a gabion is constructed using a sturdy wire mesh molded into a form that stabilizes another structure when filled with rocks. Gabions can be used in a building's foundation, to control a steep embankment, or as a way to reduce erosion in streams and rivers situations that can capture and contain flowing water. The gabion directs, deflects, and reduces the force of waters helping to reduce the erosional impacts. This traditional construction method using simple materials is finding many, new contemporary applications.
In most arid regions, deforestation and over-grazing has created vast denuded landscapes with reduced water supplies. The ability of gabions to deflect the force of floods, allows for containment ponds and sections in once dry creeks beds to retain water, which can then recharge aquifers and restore overgrazed vegetation. Several innovative organizations, Native American tribes, and commercial ranching operations in the Southwestern US and elsewhere have shown dramatic recovery of grasses and groundwater supplies where gabions have been installed. These designed and managed water projects utilize a classical civil engineering technology to 'kick-start' an ecosystem's recovery.
If Leonardo were alive today, the Renaissance master would likely be proud seeing the results of combining his design tools with an understanding of the recovery power of nature. WHB