Desecheo Island
[Research, Test, Model]

Desecheo Island, a small island off the coast of Puerto Rico, was named in 1517. Today it is an uninhabited island, forbidden to visitors. From 1940 to 1964, the island was used for military practice and training. Unexploded ordnance makes the site unsafe for public recreation today. Several species unique to the island are the threatened Higo Chumbo cactus (Harrisia portoricensis) and the return of the Bridled Terns. Both suffered tremendous decline with the introduction of the black rat and other invasive species due to human presence on the island in the mid-1990s. Through drawings and film, I represent the impact of human presence on the island from 1940-1964.

On Desecheo Island, the Higo Chumbo cactus neared extinction when rats began eating the fruit at a high rate. With the recent decline in the rat population, the Higo Chumbo population is returning. Through the analysis of conditions in which this plant thrives, along with the proposal of a new cell form, I strategize ways to stabilize and accelerate the regrowth of this species. The + shaped cell placed across the topography can potentially stabilize topography to prevent erosion, slow down water movement as it makes its way downhill toward the sea, and catch wind-blown seeds long its east facing surface.

Harvard University GSD: Landscape Representation III - Landform and Ecological Process

Instructor: Craig Douglas + Rosalea Monacella