Why Does it Matter?
Carefully monitoring and caring about water consumption and quality means a healthier, more diverse ecosystem. It also illustrates how essential interconnectedness is in ecology. All plants, no matter the size, from Wolffia (watermeal or duckweed) to giant Sequoia, need water to survive.
The most recent California drought (2011-2017) has shown that we need to carefully monitor our groundwater usage and increase our retention of surface water. Public gardens that make a deliberate effort to establish sustainable water management practices can improve their region’s economic, social, and environmental health. We must plan and implement changes that allow public gardens to withstand the impact of such droughts, but the land we manage must also serve to improve water quality and storage when and where rainfall is abundant. Reactive measures may provide a short term solution to drought and other water problems, but often adversely impact plant biodiversity, habitat, and wildlife needed to sustain ecosystems.
