Green Roofs Australia Inc (Queensland) is strongly supporting the University of Queensland in its proposed research into new native plant cultivars for Brisbane’s future green roofs and green walls.
Last week the University of Queensland’s Gatton Campus researcher, Dr Melanie Perkins, told Queensland members of GRA Inc that their state had a number of native plants (including drought-hardy weeds) which could be developed specially for city roofs and walls.
Such cultivars were needed urgently for the hotter, drier conditions of Brisbane rooftops – especially as predicted climate change occurred. The University of Queensland would expect good results to start flowing from research within several years.
Big benefits were expected for rural and urban horticultural industries currently recovering from the 2008 drought.
By mid century Brisbane is expected to have a climate similar to that of Mackay, some 800 km to the north. City temperatures could be significantly reduced by millions of square meters of specially grown, hardy roof plants.
Dr Perkins said that the new native cultivars could have more attractive flowering and much-reduced (or no) capacity to produce “weed-seeds” and pollen in cities.
Geoff Wilson, founder and Queensland executive of Green Roofs Australia Inc said that a research program into Queensland native plants suited to hot roofs and walls was of great importance to the progress of built-environment design and construction in Brisbane.
Mr Wilson told Queensland members: “Of parallel importance will be our response to the mini-harvesting of rainwater, its storage below or at the side of buildings, and its use in irrigation mini-systems to keep roof an wall plants alive without any use of municipal water supplies.
“Every Australian city has a similar development pattern ahead of it, so the University of Queensland native plant-breeding research project can expect to have many similar projects by other universities around Australia ” Mr Wilson said.
Information on the green roof plant research program proposed in Queensland is available by emailing Green Roofs Founder and Queensland executive, Geoff Wilson, on wilson.geoff@optusnet com.au or by phoning +61 (0)7 3411 4524. The research is also likely to be discussed again at the GRA Inc. Queensland meeting in Brisbane from 5.30pm on Tuesday, July 20, 2009.
