Natural Resources

Rising population, urbanization, and a shifting climate have heightened efforts to identify, protect, enhance and restore upland, riparian, wetland and coastal ecosystems.

Our landscape architecture team has expertise in botany, fluvial geomorphology, landscape ecology, and monitoring. In collaboration with ESA’s engineering and biological services teams, we have completed projects across the west coast in upland, riverine, floodplain, wetland, and coastal settings. We prepare basin- and watershed-scale conservation plans, reach- and regional-scale resource assessments, and stabilization plans and local site-scale conservation, restoration, and mitigation plans.

At a watershed scale, we apply the principles of landscape ecology and GIS-based analysis to identify meaningful interventions and geographically prioritize conservation and restoration efforts.

When specific locations have been identified, we apply field-based inventory and analysis techniques to better understand unique habitats, the geomorphic processes that sustain them, and appropriate actions to restore or enhance existing conditions. Grading, plant materials, seed composition, and irrigation methods are carefully orchestrated to respond to site conditions to provide the best opportunity for success.

With a solid grounding in science, focus on constructability, and sensitivity to each project’s definition of success, we translate ecological objectives into well-crafted plans and construction documents.

Related specialties and services:

• Adaptive management
• Field investigations and assessments
• Geospatial
• Impact calculations
• Mitigation planning and design
• Monitoring
• Restoration
• Watershed planning