From extraction to regeneration: a day with the WIRRED project
On the wild Eastern shores of Barbados, an innovative team is taking a holistic approach to a new model of ecosystem restoration for the Caribbean
On a gusty January morning, Polo and I struggled with worn-down umbrellas on the roadside in Speightstown, Barbados. Despite the so-called dry season, we were quickly getting soaked.
“We’ll start at sunrise,” Elize had declared over Zoom the day prior. “The weather is fickle these days.” A few minutes after seven a.m., we proffered our thanks when her rain-slick sedan pulled up to greet us. “Toss your bags in anywhere — let’s go!”
It took just 20’ to drive from west coast to east coast. As we rose above 300 meters (practically the island’s highest elevation) we made introductions. We were meeting with Elize Rostant, the Managing Director of the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research and Design (or WIRRED, for short).
It was a little bizarre, to launch straight back into climate reporting after nearly three months ‘off’ — focusing on the ‘how’ of low-carbon transport (e.g., sailing across the Atlantic Ocean) instead of the ‘why’. But shortly after touching down on land, we fell back into the rhythm of discovery: sending emails, scheduling meetings, and setting out to amplify climate solutions — finally, in the Caribbean!
We came to Barbados to report on The Bridgetown Initiative, the renewable energy transition, and the island nation’s status as a solar-hot-water superstar, but in the course of our research, we discovered an ecosystem restoration project that was not to be missed.
From sand pit to paradise
Located in the Scotland District (yes, the specter of imperial exploitation still looms large across the Caribbean — in the very essence of how many places were named by colonizers), Walkers Reserve is a 277-acre ecological park with a complicated history and a bright future. It abuts the Walkers Sand Quarry, an active mining project.
Extraction in the property started in 1968, when the McNeel family discovered high-silica sand on the property. High-silica sand is primarily composed of quartz, resistant to weathering and erosion, and ideal for various industrial applications like construction and cement-mixing. Over the course of the decades, the Walkers Sand Quarry became the #1 source of sand for the island of Barbados.
“Nearly every building on the island has been constructed with sand from the quarry,” Rostant said. “It was instrumental in the development of the island, using locally-available resources instead of importing costly building materials from other countries.”
But as sand mining continued and the island’s buildings developed around it, the consequences of extraction became more and more visible. Among its deleterious effects: erosion, water quality degradation, and habitat loss. And as no resource is infinite, reaching the usable sand has become steadily more difficult over time.
Enter Ian McNeel, the visionary behind the regeneration of Walkers Sand Quarry who has charted the transformation of the space, developing a model that was more viable for the citizens of Barbados and the health of the ecosystem in the long term.
The Walkers Reserve project formally kicked off in 2011, in response to a critical question: how do we restore this degraded sand quarry, and phase to a more sustainable set of operations, for people and planet?
Over the course of the next decade, a team of local and international experts came together to discuss the potential for a holistic site restoration.
“The goal was to go beyond just ecological regeneration and encode research, design, education and community outreach into the mix,” Rostant said.
The first planting took place in 2016, and the restoration developed from there at a rapid clip. “There’s been lots of trial and error since it’s the only project of its kind in the Caribbean region,” Meike Joseph, a Project Officer & Manager at WIRRED, said. “We’re planting in sand and we’re battling the sea spray coming in, but we’ve quickly realized what grows best on the site and where.”
Rostant describes the project as a ‘living laboratory for regeneration and climate resilience’ given the vast quantity of methods and projects that have filled the space in the last decade.
“We’re constantly iterating and refining and developing a codex of what works; we’re excited to broaden our impact by sharing our knowledge with others,” she said.
The signs of success
Over the last decade, this pocket of land on the Eastern Shore has evolved into a vibrant and complex ecosystem. To illustrate the project’s progress, we toured the property’s different ecosystems, each one more breathtaking than the last.
From a mangrove forest peppered with slanting coconut trees, to a high plain crawling with curious monkeys, to the lush, verdant jungle where different nourishing fruits and vegetables like soursop and Bajan ackee are cultivated, each corner of the project reveals a new fragment of inspiring nature. We walked to the highest point of the Reserve to take it all in, hardly believing that less than a decade ago, it was barren.
Walkers Reserve also has a significant social impact component. Under its umbrella sits Slow Food Barbados, a thrice-weekly soup kitchen that uses a mix of donated ingredients and those grown in the orchards at the Reserve to make meals for the community. Each week, they currently serve approximately 300 soups to vulnerable members of the community.
Critically, Walkers Reserve also employs close to 50 Barbadians on a full-time basis and several more for special projects such as reforestation and mangrove conservation initiatives, many from the Saint Andrew parish, an economically vulnerable region of the island. Employees use low-impact agricultural methods, like spike-free coconut cultivation, on property and bring these methods home to their communities.
“We’re making the most of the community’s skills in regenerative agriculture, promoting methods that have high impact for people, but low impact on the planet,” Rostant said. “Our status as a small island developing state means we have to find a balance with the environment, create a resilient society where people can work but also live in sync with the land.”
BY THE NUMBERS
125,008 — trees planted via the ‘One Tree for Every Bajan’ initiative
60,000 — bowls of soup served via Slow Food Barbados
277 — acres regenerated
134 — distinct plant species on site
50+ — jobs provided
Can extraction and regeneration truly coexist?
We believe the answer is yes — to a point. While critics and perfectionists could easily point fingers at Walkers Reserve and claim only complete cessation of sand-mining operations would be a responsible use of the land, we were impressed by the diligence and care put into an approach around regenerating Walkers Reserve without a grassroots or political push. This is where the learnings of our first several months on the road take the spotlight.
We’ve visited several regenerative sites across Europe, from the deserts of Spain to the frigid peatlands of Finland, each with its own model of ecosystem restoration, and each arising from unique circumstances. But what sets the WIRRED project apart is that the stakeholders historically affiliated with extraction are rising to the occasion and versus leaving the mess for un-affiliated NGOs and concerned citizens to clean up (like we’ve seen so many times before).
Nothing is perfect, of course. And it’s important to note that the sand quarry has not yet been retired. But we think that more extractive projects should have proactive and sustainable plans like that we’ve seen at Walkers Reserve, to adapt their ecosystem and give back to the community.
By exploring the edges of our systems, we open ourselves to seeing the non-obvious opportunities that can generate profound, innovative ways to leverage change,” Rostant said.
What do you think about the WIRRED story? We’d love to hear your thoughts on their innovative approach to regeneration.
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