What can you do?

What you can do?

Create a wetland or pond on your property:

This would provide multiple benefits in terms of both climate resilience and drought preparedness including:

• Water storage - they capture rainfall and runoff and ensure that water is available during the dry season.

• Groundwater recharge - they hold water and allow it to slowly infiltrate into the ground

• Flood mitigation - can absorb and hold water during heavy rainfall events, reducing runoff and flood risk.

• Ecosystem services - supports varying plants and animal life, increasing and supporting biodiversity.

Rainwater harvesting:

Utilizing rain barrels and other rainfall capture mechanisms can improve drought resilience through:

• Water storage - capturing water during the rainy season allows for it to be available for use during the dry season. 

• Decreased demand on groundwater and lakes - using water that is captured from rainfall for outdoor use such as watering gardens decreases the demand for water to be extracted from groundwater sources and lakes.  This protects water reserves and ensures a reliable supply is available for communities and ecosystems.

Plant more native drought resistant species:

Planting native drought resistant species on your property can help with climate change mitigation and water availability through:

• Increased vegetation health - planting species that are native to the island and are drought tolerant can lead to increased vegetation health and survival rates throughout dry seasons and droughts. 

• Decreased water demand - drought tolerant species will require less watering and maintenance during the dry months, decreasing water demand from groundwater and lakes.  

• Increase biodiversity - higher levels of biodiversity leads to a more resilient healthy ecosystem.  

Bioswales and Biochar:

Bioswales and utilizing biochar can help with water availability through:

• Increased water retention - water flow is slowed to ensure that it can infiltrate into the ground, providing more water for plants and recharge groundwater.  Biochar also has a significant capacity to hold water, retaining rainfall in the environment.  

• Increased water quality - slowing the flow of water in bioswales acts to filter out harmful pollutants and sediment improving the water quality.  

Leaving trees:

Leaving trees on your property can:

• Increase shaded areas to keep areas cooler during extreme heat. 

• Prevent direct sunlight from hitting your house, potentially reducing the need for air conditioning and fans indoors.  

• Add additional windbreaks to buffer extreme winds. 

• Tree root systems improve soil structure and allow for moisture to infiltrate into the ground instead of runoff.  This acts to prevent erosion, recharge groundwater, and improves soil moisture.