BIODIVERSITY IN ACTION AT THE BUREAU OF ENGINEERING
“Los Angeles is a City where all Angelenos value biodiversity, honor and respect nature, and steward the natural world, ensuring that ecosystems are protected, enhanced, and restored, environmental and public health benefits are maximized and equitably shared by all, and that Los Angeles is a resilient, biophilic City for generations to come.”
Biodiversity Vision Statement adopted by the Los Angeles City Council in 2017.
Native biodiversity is the variety of all of the native plants, animals, insects and other species that live within our shared environment. In our City, this can include our natural areas, urban landscapes, suburban neighborhoods, and all the other built environments that these species can call home.
The Bureau of Engineering (BOE) is the primary designer and builder of the City’s new infrastructure projects, including: roads & bridges, stormwater and sewer facilities, public buildings, parks and recreation facilities, and many Los Angeles River revitalization projects. BOE embraces these public projects as an opportunity to re-think our relationship with nature by including design features that protect, restore and enhance our native biodiversity and provide important connectivity between native habitats.
The City of Los Angeles is fortunate to be located within a globally recognized hotspot of natural biodiversity. However, that also means many native species here are challenges by the loss of habitat. Creative strategies are needed to ensure their long-term survival.
We also benefit from many ecosystem services provided by our native biodiversity, such as:
reducing air pollution
adapting to a changing climate
cleaning and capturing water
improving our mental health
opportunities for education and study
Some examples of recent BOE projects that support native biodiversity include:
George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon
George Wolfburg Park at Potrero Canyon includes 30 acres of native habitat restoration planting including riparian wetlands, oak & sycamore woodlands, and coastal bluff habitat as well as walking trails and scenic overlook areas with educational signage. Recycled stormwater runoff is pumped into the upper portion of the park, sustaining the riparian wetlands as it flows down towards the ocean while being filtered by the vegetation and soil in the basin bottoms.verlook areas with educational signage. Recycled stormwater runoff is pumped into the upper portion of the park, sustaining the riparian wetlands as it flows down towards the ocean while being filtered by the vegetation and soil in the basin bottoms.
Albion Riverside Park Bioswale
The half-acre native plant bioswale planting provides a natural interface for the park with the adjacent Los Angeles River. The bioswale captures runoff from adjacent paving and synthetic turf fields, where it filters and cleans the water. The bioswale area also provides habitat for native birds, animals, beneficial insects and pollinators..
Soto Street Bridge and Street Improvements
A narrow strip of planting between the sidewalk and the base of the new bridge provides an up-close experience with a variety of flowering native perennial plants selected to specifically benefit native beneficial insects and pollinators.