EcoSlope: An Innovative Use of Ecological Concept in Slope Landscape Environment

Abstract

A vast cutting of the hill slope areas along with intense rainfall, weathering, and climate change, has increased the frequency and intensity of the slope hazards and potentially affected ecological functions of the slope landscapes. Therefore, in supporting the initiative of UMSLLS towards achieving more sustainable campus, EcoSlope, a greener slope management technique has been proposed. This slope management is to demonstrate a cost-effective, high biodiversity, high aesthetic value with carbon sequestration potential and a stable slope landscape in the Universiti Malaya. The engagement with staff and students has also been established in the planting activities and monitoring. In conclusion, although with the limited area given, this living lab project has successfully demonstrated the efforts in translating the research into reality via numerous tangible sustainability output which is presented in this chapter.

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EcoSlope: An Innovative Use of Ecological
Concept in Slope Landscape Environment
Normaniza Osman 1,*, Hazreena Hussein2, Aimee Halim1,
Maszairizam Masri3
1Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya,
50603 Kuala Lumpur
2Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya,
50603 Kuala Lumpur
3Department of Development & Estate Maintenance (JPPHB), Universiti Malaya,
50603 Kuala Lumpur
*Corresponding author: +60379674185. Email address: normaniza@um.edu.my
Abstract
A vast cutting of the hill slope areas along with intense rainfall, weathering, and
climate change, has increased the frequency and intensity of the slope hazards
and potentially affected ecological functions of the slope landscapes. Therefore,
in supporting the initiative of UMSLLS towards achieving more sustainable
campus, EcoSlope, a greener slope management technique has been proposed.
This slope management is to demonstrate a cost-effective, high biodiversity, high
aesthetic value with carbon sequestration potential and a stable slope landscape
in the Universiti Malaya. The engagement with staff and students has also been
established in the planting activities and monitoring. In conclusion, although with
the limited area given, this living lab project has successfully demonstrated the
efforts in translating the research into reality via numerous tangible sustainability
output which is presented in this chapter.
Keywords: EcoSlope, biodiversity, green landscape, natural succession, and
slope stability

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Introduction
Facing the degrading slope ecosystem due to vegetation clearance and climate
change, an environmental-friendly and low impact development approach is
integral to the slope landscape planning. Owing to aesthetic and good
characteristics of vegetation, eco-engineering, a greener slope management
technique is currently adopted and applied by the expressway operators in
achieving stability of the slopes and at the same time guaranteeing the cost-
effective and the low maintenance on the landscape (Table 1).
With the expansion of this environmental-friendly slope management approach,
however, a great challenge of vegetation establishment on the slope is the
succession problem. For example, a common practice of hydro-seeded grasses
is always regarded as a short-term solution as the grass coverage reduced over
time due to its shallow root system. Subsequently, topsoil gets eroded, resulting
in, inter alia, leaching away of chemical elements as valuable plant nutrients. This
latter effect makes it impossible for other species to grow, and ultimately it
impedes the succession process. Thus, the present work aims to implement the
plant succession management as alternative slope management in UM, clarifying
its benefits in enhancing the biodiversity, sustain green landscape, and provide
the long-term stabilization. The objectives of this project are 1) to demonstrate
a cost-effective, high aesthetic value, and a stable slope landscape in UM and 2)
to design high biodiversity of green slope landscape as a potential land area in
carbon sequestration.
Table 1: Some slope eco-engineering practices in Malaysia
Practitioner
Approach
Malaysia Highway
Authority (LLM)
The green highway rating system has been developed to address
the sustainability elements for highway operation via focusing on
the watershed driven storm water management; life cycle
energy and emission reduction; recycle, reuse, and renewable;
conservation and ecosystem management and overall societal
benefits (Nusa et al., 2015).
Public Works
Department (JKR)
Emphasizes on closed turfing to green the slopes.
Grow vetiver species using coil rolls and fiber mats on high to
completely weathered granitic soil (proposed by Research and
Development Unit; Abdullah et al., 2007)
Grow Leucaena leucocephala and Melastoma malabathricum on
granitic rock - weathering grade I to IV (proposed by UM:
Normaniza et al., 2009; Abdullah et al., 2011).

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Ecological concept and landscape design of EcoSlope
Climate change, entailing shifts in temperature, precipitation and concentration
of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would result to the climate
warming, perturbations of hydrologic cycles and may threaten to the ecosystem
(Gray and Brady, 2016), including the slope environment. From the eco-
physiological point of view, the use of vegetation is inherently responsible for
atmospheric temperatures stabilization by absorbing and sequester carbon, as
one way to alleviate global warming. Vegetation establishment has become an
alternative solution to minimize the impacts and stabilize the slope (Normaniza
and Barakbah, 2011; Aimee and Normaniza, 2015).
Considering the rising concerns over the slope stability, sustainability and in
combating the impacts of climate change, vegetation has become a main element
of EcoSlope. We introduce the concept of high diversity into the sloping
landscape and strengthen using self-sustaining and low maintenance planting
technique, the “Micro‐climate Plant Propagation Technique” (Normaniza and
Barakbah, 2011; Figure 1). Apart from attracting people by highlighting the
aesthetic value of the landscape through texture, form, colors, aroma and sound,
the aesthetic attributes shall also play a role in attracting fauna e.g. insects,
butterflies and birds, which will eventually establish the flora-fauna interaction, a
prominent component in producing a sustainable and stable slope (Normaniza et
al., 2014).
A set of criteria was formulated to select potential species for plantation on the
slope (Stokes et al., 2009; Normaniza and Barakbah, 2011; Saifuddin and
Normaniza, 2012). Physiological characteristics such as the high photosynthetic
rate, transpiration rate, and growth rate and root profiles, such as root
architecture, root volume, and root length are considered as major criteria
(Normaniza et al. 2014; Saifuddin and Normaniza, 2016). Slope pioneers should
also exhibit prominent characteristics such as good plant-water relations and
carbon sequestration − the higher the potential of the plant to absorb CO2, the
greater is the capacity of the plant to be a carbon sink potential.
To better integrate the aesthetic value and ecological components so the design
shall function optimally, the designer needs to fully understand plants and their
environments, construction, and maintenance problems. Aesthetic values are
generated not only from each plant but also from the combination of elements
of the landscape such as earth mounds and rolling topography. Masses of plants
arranged in freeform, circular, and flowing patterns on similar forms of slopes
Department of
Development &
Estate Maintenance
(JPPHB), UM
No specific guideline to manage hilly landscape.
Practice ‘vegetation management’ (cut grasses) and monitor
slope maintenance – drainage etc.