A
la dscape
ea
Mombasa,
Ke ya,
o ce
looked
almost
impossible
to
esto e.
Decades
of
limesto e
qua yi g
had
left
the
g ou d
ha d,
hot
a d
la gely
devoid
of
vegetatio ,
while
salty
g ou dwate
made
g owi g
pla ts
eve
mo e
difficult.
The
D
Re é
Halle ,
a
Swiss-bo
atu alist
a d
ag o omist
wo ki g
with
Bambu i
Ceme t,
bega
a
ambitious
expe ime t
i
ecological
esto atio .
Sta ti g
i
the
ea ly
1970s,
he
tested
pla ts,
ebuilt
soil
a d
studied
how
o ga isms
could
wo k
togethe
to
b i g
life
back
to
the
exhausted
qua y.
What
followed
was
a
decades-lo g
t a sfo matio .
The
ba e
i dust ial
site
g adually
developed
i to
fo ests,
wetla ds,
po ds
a d
habitats
fo
wildlife,
eve tually
becomi g
what
is
ow
k ow
as
Halle
Pa k.
The
Ke ya
qua y
left
ba e
by
limesto e
mi i g
Bambu i
Ceme t
bega
qua yi g
limesto e
ea
Mombasa
i
the
1950s
to
supply
its
ceme t
wo ks.
By
the
ea ly
1970s,
la ge
a eas
had
bee
heavily
alte ed
by
ext actio .
The
qua y
floo
was
desc ibed
as
ba e
a d
ha d,
with
tempe atu es
eachi g
about
40°C,
while
sali e
g ou dwate
c eated
a othe
majo
obstacle
fo
pla ts.The
challe ge
was
ot
simply
to
pla t
t ees.
The
la d
had
lost
much
of
the
biological
system
eeded
to
suppo t
vegetatio .
The e
was
little
o ga ic
mate ial,
poo
soil
a d
ve y
little
shade.Fo
Halle ,
this
mea t
the
qua y
could
ot
be
esto ed
th ough
co ve tio al
la dscapi g
alo e.
He
eeded
to
fi d
a
way
to
ebuild
the
ecological
p ocesses
that
allowed
a
ecosystem
to
suppo t
itself.
The
ma
who
efused
to
give
up
o
the
wastela d
Halle
bega
wo ki g
o
the
ehabilitatio
p oject
i
1971,
testi g
diffe e t
t ee
species
o
the
deg aded
qua y
la d.
Acco di g
to
the
Halle
Fou datio ,
he
i itially
pla ted
26
va ieties
of
sapli gs,
but
o ly
th ee
su vived
the
ha sh
co ditio s.O e
of
those
su vivo s
was
the
casua i a
t ee,
which
p oved
capable
of
tole ati g
the
difficult
e vi o me t.
It
gave
Halle
a
sta ti g
poi t,
but
the
t ees
soo
c eated
a othe
p oblem.
Thei
falle
eedles
we e
difficult
to
b eak
dow ,
mea i g
ut ie ts
we e
ot
etu i g
to
the
developi g
soil
quickly
e ough.I
a
healthy
ecosystem,
falle
vegetatio
is
b oke
dow
by
i sects,
fu gi,
bacte ia
a d
othe
o ga isms,
etu i g
ut ie ts
to
the
soil.
But
the
qua y
had
lost
much
of
this
atu al
cycle.Halle
the efo e
bega
looki g
fo
a
atu al
way
to
esta t
it.
That
sea ch
led
him
to
o e
of
the
most
u usual
cha acte s
i
the
e ti e
esto atio
sto y.The
ed-legged
Mombasa
millipede
became
a
u expected
ally.The
millipedes
fed
o
the
falle
casua i a
mate ial,
while
mic oo ga isms
associated
with
thei
d oppi gs
helped
b eak
dow
the
pla t
matte
i to
humus.
Ove
time,
this
co t ibuted
to
the
fo matio
of
a
iche
laye
of
soil.It
was
a
small
but
impo ta t
b eakth ough.
Halle
was
begi i g
to
u de sta d
that
esto i g
the
qua y
was
ot
simply
about
putti g
t ees
back
i to
the
g ou d.
He
eeded
to
ebuild
the
elatio ships
betwee
pla ts,
soil
a d
o ga isms
that
made
a
ecosystem
fu ctio .The
t ees
p ovided
o ga ic
mate ial.
The
millipedes
helped
p ocess
it.
Mic oo ga isms
co ti ued
the
decompositio ,
a d
the
developi g
soil
could
the
suppo t
mo e
vegetatio .Slowly,
the
qua y
bega
developi g
its
ow
ecological
cycle.
Halle
expe ime ted
with
a
e ti e
ecosystem
With
the
soil
g adually
imp ovi g,
Halle ‘s
expe ime t
expa ded
beyo d
t ees
a d
millipedes.He
a d
his
team
bega
studyi g
the
oles
diffe e t
pla ts
a d
a imals
could
play
i
the
developi g
e vi o me t.
The
Halle
Fou datio
desc ibes
the
p ocess
as
o e
of
t ial
a d
e o ,
with
diffe e t
o ga isms
i t oduced
o
e cou aged
acco di g
to
the
ecological
fu ctio s
they
could
pe fo m.A ts
helped
with
ut ie t
cycli g,
while
du g
beetles
co t ibuted
to
decompositio .
Bushpigs
distu bed
the
soil
as
they
sea ched
fo
food,
while
g azi g
a imals
helped
i flue ce
vegetatio .Each
eleme t
became
pa t
of
a
much
la ge
effo t
to
move
the
la dscape
away
f om
a
a tificial
pla tatio
a d
towa ds
a
fu ctio i g
ecosystem.
The
ba e
qua y
slowly
became
g ee
The
t a sfo matio
took
yea s
athe
tha
mo ths.As
vegetatio
became
established,
the
o ce-exposed
qua y
floo
g adually
became
g ee e .
Acco di g
to
the
Halle
Fou datio ,
mo e
tha
o e
millio
t ees
we e
eve tually
pla ted
ac oss
the
qua y.With
the
vegetatio
came
othe
fo ms
of
life.
I sects
a d
butte flies
fou d
food
a d
shelte ,
bi ds
bega
usi g
the
developi g
habitats
a d
the
i c easi gly
dive se
la dscape
became
capable
of
suppo ti g
mammals
a d
othe
wildlife.The
co t ast
became
i c easi gly
difficult
to
ig o e.
La d
that
had
o ce
co sisted
la gely
of
exposed
limesto e
a d
i dust ial
sca s
was
ow
cove ed
with
vegetatio .The
esto atio
was
o
lo ge
simply
a
attempt
to
hide
the
qua y.
It
was
becomi g
a
ew
ecosystem.
Wetla ds
eme ged
f om
the
old
qua y
pits
The
old
excavatio
a eas
also
offe ed
a
oppo tu ity
to
c eate
aquatic
habitats.Some
of
the
fo me
qua y
pits
filled
with
wate ,
while
esto atio
effo ts
developed
po ds
a d
wetla ds
capable
of
suppo ti g
fish,
bi ds,
amphibia s
a d
eptiles.These
wetla ds
added
a othe
laye
to
the
ecove i g
la dscape.
I stead
of
suppo ti g
o ly
te est ial
vegetatio
a d
wildlife,
the
esto ed
qua y
could
ow
p ovide
habitats
fo
species
that
depe ded
o
wate .The
developi g
fo ests
a d
wetla ds
we e
begi i g
to
t a sfo m
the
fo me
i dust ial
site
i to
a
much
mo e
complex
e vi o me t.
Wildlife
etu ed
to
the
esto ed
la dscape
As
the
habitats
matu ed,
wildlife
became
o e
of
the
clea est
sig s
that
the
esto atio
was
wo ki g.Today,
Halle
Pa k
is
home
to
a imals
i cludi g
gi affes,
hippos,
c ocodiles
a d
a telope,
alo gside
ume ous
smalle
species.
The
pa k
also
eco ds
mo e
tha
160
bi d
species
a d
mo e
tha
30
mammal
species.The
esto ed
la dscape
also
co tai s
eptiles,
amphibia s,
i sects
a d
butte flies.Howeve ,
ot
eve y
a imal
fou d
at
Halle
Pa k
simply
etu ed
atu ally.
Some
we e
escued
o
i t oduced
as
pa t
of
co se vatio
a d
educatio al
p og ammes.
The
impo ta t
poi t
is
that
the
esto atio
c eated
habitats
capable
of
suppo ti g
such
dive sity.The
fo me
qua y
had
become
somethi g
that
would
have
seemed
almost
impossible
whe
Halle
fi st
bega
wo ki g
the e:
a
la dscape
capable
of
sustai i g
a
wide
va iety
of
life.
The
qua y
became
Halle
Pa k
By
1984,
the
fo me
qua y
had
developed
sufficie tly
to
become
a
public
atu e
att actio
k ow
as
the
Bambu i
Natu e
T ail.
It
was
late
e amed
Halle
Pa k
i
ho ou
of
Re é
Halle
a d
his
co t ibutio
to
the
esto atio
p oject.The
t a sfo matio
gave
the
fo me
qua y
a
e ti ely
ew
pu pose.
I stead
of
bei g
domi ated
by
limesto e
ext actio ,
the
la d
became
a
place
fo
wildlife
co se vatio ,
e vi o me tal
educatio
a d
ecological
esto atio .The
pa k
combi es
fo ests,
wetla ds,
wildlife
habitats,
bota ical
a eas
a d
educatio al
facilities,
allowi g
visito s
to
see
the
esults
of
decades
of
ehabilitatio .
A
wildlife
sa ctua y
ow
sta ds
whe e
mi i g
o ce
domi ated
The
t a sfo matio
is
pa ticula ly
st iki g
because
the
la dscape
had
ot
simply
suffe ed
atu al
deg adatio .
It
had
bee
fu dame tally
alte ed
by
i dust ial
activity.Limesto e
ext actio
had
emoved
vegetatio
a d
cha ged
the
physical
co ditio s
of
the
la d,
leavi g
Halle
a d
his
team
to
ebuild
ecological
fu ctio s
almost
f om
the
g ou d
up.Today,
the
pa k’s
la dscape
is
domi ated
by
vegetatio
a d
wildlife
athe
tha
exposed
qua y
su faces.
The
official
Halle
Pa k
site
desc ibes
it
as
a
esto ed
ecosystem
co tai i g
fo ests,
wetla ds
a d
dive se
wildlife.The
wide
ehabilitated
qua y
a ea
has
also
bee
desc ibed
as
exte di g
to
oughly
200
hecta es,
although
figu es
va y
depe di g
o
whethe
sou ces
a e
efe i g
specifically
to
Halle
Pa k
o
the
b oade
ehabilitated
Bambu i
qua y
la dscape.The
cha ge
is
the efo e
mo e
tha
a
visual
o e.
A
la dscape
o ce
shaped
p ima ily
by
ext actio
had
bee
give
a
e ti ely
diffe e t
ecological
pu pose.
Halle ‘s
expe ime t
became
a
e vi o me tal
model
Halle ‘s
wo k
eve tually
att acted
i te atio al
ecog itio .The
Halle
Fou datio
says
he
eceived
the
UNEP
Global
500
Roll
of
Ho ou
fo
his
e vi o me tal
wo k.
His
app oach
has
subseque tly
bee
cited
as
a
example
of
how
seve ely
deg aded
i dust ial
la dscapes
ca
be
ehabilitated
th ough
ecological
esto atio .The
sig ifica ce
of
the
p oject
lies
pa tly
i
its
philosophy.Halle
did
ot
simply
impo t
la ge
amou ts
of
soil
a d
cove
the
qua y
with
o ame tal
pla ts.
He
spe t
yea s
obse vi g
which
species
could
su vive,
how
ut ie ts
moved
th ough
the
developi g
e vi o me t
a d
how
diffe e t
o ga isms
could
help
ebuild
ecological
p ocesses.The
qua y
effectively
became
a
gia t
ecological
labo ato y,
with
each
successful
expe ime t
helpi g
c eate
the
co ditio s
fo
the
ext
stage
of
esto atio .
The
esto atio
co ti ues
today
Halle ‘s
o igi al
expe ime t
did
ot
e d
whe
the
qua y
became
g ee .Halle
Pa k
co ti ues
to
ma age
its
fo ests,
wetla ds,
wildlife
a d
co se vatio
p og ammes.
Its
cu e t
esto atio
wo k
i cludes
wetla d
ehabilitatio ,
fo est
esto atio ,
butte fly
b eedi g,
aquacultu e
a d
e vi o me tal
mo ito i g.The
pa k
also
uses
the
esto ed
la dscape
fo
e vi o me tal
educatio ,
allowi g
schoolchild e
a d
visito s
to
lea
about
biodive sity
a d
ecological
esto atio .I
that
se se,
the
qua y
has
acqui ed
a
completely
diffe e t
pu pose
f om
the
o e
it
o ce
se ved.Mo e
tha
five
decades
afte
Halle
bega
expe ime ti g
o
the
ba e
qua y
floo ,
the
la dscape
is
almost
u ecog isable
f om
its
i dust ial
past.What
bega
as
a
appa e tly
hostile
expa se
of
limesto e
has
become
a
mosaic
of
fo ests,
wetla ds,
po ds
a d
wildlife
habitats.
