Soil Sponge
Healthy Soil Helps Mitigate Disaster Risk
Water and Carbon cycles are interdependent. The life within soil requires air and water to survive. Carbon-rich soil acts as a sponge that can hold water and release it slowly when needed. In the Blue Mountains, the peat soils in our swamps slowly release water into our waterways. Soils that hold water create cooler microclimates in summer and warmer microclimates in winter.
At the Planetary Health Centre our Circular Water system is helping clean and manage how water moves across the site so that it can support biodiversity and the health of the peat soil in our swamp.
“Improving soil health is vital for preventing and managing disasters. This is especially important as extreme weather events caused by climate change—such as droughts, floods, and wildfires—become more common.
Resilient soils, wetlands, and forests have a higher capacity for water storage. Improved water retention can mitigate the impact of floods and droughts while enhancing the environment’s resilience to landslides and soil erosion. Soils with high water infiltration rates also support the growth of wildfire-resistant vegetation.
At the same time, natural hazards such as wildfires degrade soil, increasing the risk of erosion, landslides, and flooding. Effective soil management and monitoring can significantly reduce disaster risks. In addition, strengthening the Soil Knowledge Base can improve disaster risk assessments and highlight soils’ crucial role in disaster mitigation.” (Prevention Web)
Composting ‘Cool Seats’
A composting ‘Cool Seat’ at the Planetary Health Centre demonstrates how worm composting can help keep food out of landfill, while also contributing to building a moisture retaining soil sponge in the garden. As well as creating compost it also serves as an outdoor seat and herb garden.
Deep carbon-rich soils can absorb more rain and reduce stormwater runoff. Moist soils create cooler microclimates in summer and warmer microclimates in winter. They also support more life.
The Peat Soils in the Swamps of the Blue Mountains
The peat soils of the swamps in the Blue Mountains are affected by too much or too little water. Read more in our sections on Stormwater and Landscaping
Learn More About Soil
Fungi: Keeping Water in the Soil
“The aftermath of wildfires can make landscapes appear devoid of life. Yet under the ash beds lies a vast living network of fungi.
One group of fungi, called arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, form symbiotic relationships with most of the world’s land plants. This means most plants and AM fungi rely on each other to grow and thrive.”
Research has shown that “reintroducing AM fungal communities (usually as an inoculant or biofertiliser) to degraded and disturbed landscapes can increase plant diversity by around 70%, encourage recovery of native plants, and suppress invasive weeds.”
Read more in The Conversation
Soil: Why it Matters When Building
“As we rebuild from the impacts of fire and flood with the uncertainty and spiralling costs of building in a post-COVID world, it can be tempting to cut costs. Fill and soil are areas that are often considered as a potential source of savings. However, they are foundational to the structural integrity of any building project and to the health of the land. If the soil or fill is contaminated, that will compromise the building and the land.”
Left: Dargan after the fires