L.A River Ecology Restoration: Studies of Adaptive Pocket Habitats & Gabion Technology

The current Los Angeles River appears to be immutable, however, there is differentiation in existing channel that is hidden to most people. Along the river, there are locations under various conditions that can be added with a series of pocket habitats to meet the needs for ecological restoration. By using gabion technology, the flexibility of the structure and filled material can be utilized to establish different typical habitats for bird, fish, insect and riparian plants. These easily-built concentrated moments are able to adapt to different river conditions, rather than modifying the existing concrete channel, these gabion structures can be easily installed on the concrete surface which is flexible and cost-saving. Not only align with U.S. Army Corps’s goals: flood prevention and ecological restoration, these pocket spaces can also be used as educational facilities for urban river ecology and habitats.