Planting a green roof isn’t just a way to prettify an urban space. It
can offer major environmental and ecological benefits to the surrounding areas,
and that’s one reason the concept is gaining attention from researchers in many
countries.
In October 2012, the University of Haifa dedicated its own Green
Roofs Ecology Center, the first of its kind in the Middle East. Worldwide, it is
one of the first ones to focus on ecology and biodiversity.
Professor Leon Blaustein, director of the center and head of the
university’s Community Ecology Laboratory, explains that the lab’s research is
specifically focused on how to conserve biodiversity within a developed
environment.
“When you create a city, you’re destroying much of the natural
habitat for plants and animals, and we want to mitigate this as much as possible
with our rooftop habitats,” he says. “We’re experimenting with different types
of substrate, drainage and plant assemblies in order to create a diverse plant
community which will attract a diverse community of insects, birds and other
fauna on these green roofs.”
Green roofs – which are not the same as heavily cultivated rooftop
gardens -- have multiple benefits for the environment, he says. The growing
substrate and foliage help insulate the building underneath so there is less
need for fuel to heat and cool the interior. Green roofs also help reduce urban
flash flooding by acting as a sponge for rain that otherwise falls onto concrete
or asphalt surfaces that do not allow for natural seepage.
The Green Roofs Ecology Center will allow researchers to apply
ecological principles into developing biodiverse green roofs suitable for arid
climates. It will also provide opportunities for ecologists and evolutionary
biologists to develop and test ecological theories, says Blaustein.
Though Israel is a world leader in drip irrigation methods, the
researchers will try to make the green roofs flourish without artificial
irrigation. One of the ideas they will test is using “gray” water from the
building’s sinks or showers to both nourish the plants and purify the
water.
Multidisciplinary, multinational
cooperation
The Green Roofs Ecology Center was established with money from an
overseas donor, says Blaustein, a professor at the university’s Institute of
Evolution and department of evolutionary and environmental biology. “It’s been a
wonderful experience for me because of [the donor’s] sincere enthusiasm about
lessening people’s carbon footprint.”
The on-campus field site is currently set up with 48 experimental modules, each one a
microcosm of a green roof geared to assessing how different substrate, drainage
and plant assemblages can thrive and attract insects, birds and other fauna.
Blaustein and his colleagues plan to create experimental green roof plots on
additional roofs around the campus, the city of Haifa and other cities as
well.