ECOLOGIC GOLF COURSES

The golf courses in Mexico and many countries of the world, have been subject to critics and rejection from ecological groups, due to the environmental impacts that are commonly caused by the clearing of big surfaces of vegetation and its replacement by exotic species to the zone, the lost of biodiversity, the excessive potable water use for the irrigation, and the contamination to water-bearing grounds and by remainders of agrochemicals fertilizers, among others.

Ecological design and the concepts of Landscape Ecology that EcoRed has developed for projects of residential and tourist development with golf courses and other attractions, contemplate a series of methodologies and techniques that create solutions to the problems of environmental impact. In this form, golf course projects are developed classified as “sensitive to the environment" which guarantee a suitable handling of the natural resources, allowing the integration of the environmental conservation.

The process of design and construction of these golf courses, begins with the evaluation of the ecological conditions of the site with the participation of some of the most famous designers of the courses, in addition to a interdisciplinary equipment that harmonically integrates the environmental variables of the site and the constructive processes, the architecture, the landscape and engineering of the project.

The Ecological Golf courses take very seriously the natural conditions of the site where they are developed, assuring the prevention, mitigation and compensation of environmental impacts, from the first stages of design through the construction and operation for the project’s life.

The Ecological Golf courses design is based on environmental guidelines and concepts of conservation and sustainable use of the natural resources of the estate and the region, dependant on the results of diverse previous environmental studies, made throughout the site to identify and to protect the zones of greater ecological importance, and take advantage of  the landscape attractiveness and to diminish the surface occupied by the grass, this way reducing the amount of surface that must be modified.

During its construction, protection measures such as rescue of flora and fauna, protection of natural surroundings, the application of advanced concepts of landscape ecology, ecological restoration and environmental engineering are taken. In addition, a series of biological corridors are integrated to allow the wild fauna to freely journey between the vegetation and the bodies of water, even while there are players on the field.

The Ecological Golf courses are constructed respecting the bodies of water and other fragile zones by designing the course around them and conserving the forest, the jungles, the zones of environmental importance and protecting water-bearing or the natural or artificial bodies of water. Grass certified by the Mexican authorities of agricultural health is used which diminishes the amount of water used for irrigation as well as using integrated systems of fertilization and plague control that uses fertilizers and biodegradable products for the plagues control.

Similarly, treated water is proposed for grass irrigation and conservation of the ecosystem. The vegetal species of the region will exclusively be used for gardening and landscape, as well as the use of biodegradable agrochemicals and fertilizers.

Other environmental services that Ecological Golf course can provide is opportune to mention the proposal of investment in better technologies for the residual water treatment that can be  used for the irrigation, as well as the generation of biological ecological corridors which allow the wild fauna to journey freely and guarantee the vegetal continuity and  they can also serve for the nesting, refuge or feeding of the wild fauna besides in addition to providing value and capital gain to the landscape and environmental characteristics of a certain region, generating sufficient investment to dedicate ample surfaces for the ecological protection.