Miyawaki Forests, WA​

Whadjuk NOONGAR & Ballardong NOONGAR COUNTRY​

We are working with Dr Grey Coupland (Harry Butler Institute) and the local community to develop Miyawaki pocket forests in urban areas that are particularly impacted by the urban heat island effect. These fast-growing, dense, low maintenance native forests help to cool thermal hotspots, provide shade and amenity and can achieve canopy cover in just 3 years. They also provide habitat, reduce the effects of stormwater runoff, contribute to cooling the area, and help seed rainfall.

Miyawaki forests are named after their pioneer – Japanese botanist, Akira Miyawaki – and were designed as compressed forests for small areas. We will be funding these pocket forests in schools and community parks across Australia. For schoolchildren, planting Miyawaki forests offers multiple learning opportunities (including monitoring growth, species diversity, fauna etc), as well as enabling them to take practical, empowering action in the face of climate change.

Last year, we funded five successful pocket forests in schools across the Perth metropolitan area and at a community garden in regional WA. In 2023, we are funding another four Miyawaki forests in schools located within heat-impacted areas of Perth.

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Your monthly donations allow us to develop, plant and monitor our own native and biodiverse land restoration projects right here in Australia.

 

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Project Overview

  • Project Type: Community (Urban Planting)
  • Region: Perth, WA
  • Planted: 2022
  • Size: Approximately 100 m² per site
  • Seedlings Funded: 2,000
  • Community Partner: Harry Butler Institute (Murdoch University)
  • ERF Registered: No
  • Legal Permanence: N/A

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Community

The urban heat island effect is an increasing problem in Australian cities. When vegetation is cleared and replaced with buildings, bitumen and concrete, the sun’s heat is much more readily absorbed. These materials absorb heat during the day, increasing temperatures significantly, and continue to release heat during the night. Pockets of urban heat can have serious impacts on human and animal health, especially for the elderly, pregnant women, those who are unwell, and people who live in disinvested neighbourhoods. The death toll from heatwaves in Australia has exceeded that for any other environmental disaster, including floods, bushfires and cyclones – urban heat island areas are particularly at risk. Planting trees in urban heat island areas can provide significant cooling effects alongside many other benefits.