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WALKERS RESERVE

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The Walkers Reserve landscape is extremely complex, with over 300 acres of land rising majestically from the northeastern shore of Barbados. Sand dunes, sandstone cliffs, forest, clay hills, ponds, wetlands, and so much more fill this vibrant ecosystem. 

From 1968 to 2009, this land was known as Walkers Quarry. It was essential to national growth for its unique geological silica sand resource. Nearly every building in Barbados is constructed, in part, from Walkers Quarry sand. Despite the massive outputs necessary to build a nation, Walkers Quarry managed to steward and protect one of the largest native beachside forests on the island.

WIRRED is transitioning and transforming Walkers Quarry into Walkers Reserve right before our eyes. Through the hard work and knowledge of local and international experts coupled with the goodwill of the community and stakeholders, this area that was once mined to build Barbados is now being sculpted, planted, and regenerated to increase biodiversity and co-create self sustaining ecosystems.

WIRRED is dedicated to inspiring and teaching other extraction-oriented businesses around the world how to develop regenerative post-extraction models that benefit local communities and the environment by restoring such areas back to ecological health in a similar fashion to the pioneering work of Walkers Quarry.

GOALS

ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Return extracted areas to ecological health
  • Mitigate negative environmental impacts created by extraction practices
  • Provide habitat to threatened, endangered, and endemic species
  • Conserve and restore the last remaining dune system of its size in Barbados
  • Create a gene bank for the island of Barbados of rare and useful plants

COMMUNITY

  • Cultivate mixed-use regenerative agriculture and forestry on site providing food, fibre, medicine, and livelihood
  • Inspire ecological and agricultural tourism for the National Park system, Scotland District and Barbados
  • Shape meaningful livelihood opportunities for St. Andrew and neighbouring parish residents
  • Support farmers, organizations and individuals with permaculture training and skills

GLOBAL

  • Prove regenerative economic models are viable alternatives as post-extraction
  • Engage meaningful education and research with local and international institutions
  • Stabilize the climate through reforestation and regenerative land use
  • Inspire others in similar industry toward truly regenerative restoration goals

MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES

The key regenerative practices we are using include composting, protecting and maintaining healthy watersheds, increasing biodiversity and building wildlife habitats, establishing mycorrhizal networks, bio engineering, slope stabilization, windbreaks, synthropy and holistic animal management.
We are restoring this land through a range of regenerative agriculture techniques including permaculture, a design science that seeks inspiration from nature to create ecosystems that are simultaneously resilient, beautiful, and productive.
Permaculture encompasses principles from regenerative agriculture, organic farming, holistic land management, integrated water resource management, sustainable architecture, and sustainable community building.

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with info@wirred.org to see how you can make an impact

GENESIS​

The idea to transform Walker’s Quarry into Walker’s Reserve has roots that go back to 2011 when the initial idea was created and several international permaculture consultants were approached to create a design.
This broad-scale design has been the basis for our design approach, which has been adapted and developed to further suit the environment as we learn what works best on-the-ground.
The Regeneration Program launched in 2014 with various test plots in different areas of the quarry to see which plants and patterns suited the extremely arid environment and poor soil conditions.
WIRRED staff have used the data gathered during that 2-year testing period to fine-tune our approach over the years following, and have since planted thousands of fruit trees and grasses each year with very high survivability.
The Walkers site is fully organic, meaning zero synthetic pesticides or herbicides are used in its management.
Walker’s Quarry is transforming into Walker’s Reserve right before our eyes.
Working directly with local farmers, pickers, and community members, this burgeoning ecosystem rejuvenates Bajan food security, food culture, and agro-ecological diversity by knitting the surrounding landscape and social systems together.
PHOTO GALLERY
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