Currently, the UN lacks the technical capacity to implement a strategy to address the scale of restoration needed on its own and is looking to corporate partners like WSP to help guide its successful development.
“WSP has over three decades of experience restoring habitats, which has culminated in over 10,000 acres of restored habitats,” Brunton said. “We have one of the largest benches of restoration experts in any organization. Pairing our technical strength – both by numbers and range of expertise we have – with our global reach makes our firm an ideal partner for this initiative.”
WSP has been involved in several ecological restoration projects that exemplify the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration initiative, including:
Higbee Beach Tidal Wetland Restoration – The restoration of several hundred acres of marsh into a greenway near Cape May, New Jersey is providing habitat for migratory species, and supports maritime and early successional forest, as well as a public access network. WSP’s restoration design is grounded in science and supported by extensive baseline studies, including hydrodynamic modeling, extensive sediment sampling, and detail threatened and endangered species surveys.
Saw Mill Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank – A 68-acre wetlands area on Staten Island has been threatened by flooding, invasive weeds and illegal dumping for years, and suffered severe degradation following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. To turn the tide, the New York City Economic Development Corporation selected WSP to provide wetland restoration for New York City’s first wetland mitigation bank.
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan – WSP is providing the South Florida Water Management District with scientists, engineers and restoration specialists to protect the water supply and control flooding in the region by preventing saltwater intrusion, encouraging responsible agriculture and urban development, and preserving fish and wildlife habitat in the Everglades.
Lincoln Park Wetlands Restoration – A large tidal marsh was designed by WSP to fit into the natural landscape adjacent to Lincoln Park in Jersey City, which had become a landfill without a permit. Today the wetlands, streams and salt marshes, once blighted with debris, are now restored with 42 acres of tidal habitats, new inter-tidal channels, and public walking trails.
Wisconsin Point Dune Restoration – A three-mile-long natural sand spit along Lake Superior, part of one of the longest freshwater sandbars in the world and a popular recreation area, had become degraded by excessive heavy foot traffic and activity, destabilizing the shoreline. WSP provided environmental and resilient design services to restore and stabilize 48,000 square feet of sand dune habitat.