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Royal Park Designed Experiments
Royal Park Designed Experiments
Melbourne, Australia
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Other Projects by Urban Ecology and Design Lab
Royal Park Designed Experiments
Melbourne, Australia
Type
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2025
SIZE
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft
BUDGET
$50K - 100K
The Urban Ecology & Design Lab (UEDLAB) is working within a cross-disciplinary team of ecologists and landscape architects to develop a series of designed experiments at Royal Park that test how urban landscapes can support food webs, biodiversity, and conservation. The project aligns with and contributes to the City of Melbourne’s Royal Park Master Plan, positioning the park as a site for ecological innovation and public engagement.
Central to the work is collaboration with Michael Kearney and Ary Hoffmann from the School of Biosciences at the University of Melbourne, who are leading the reintroduction of matchstick grasshoppers (Vandiemenella viatica). The project is also developed in partnership with landscape architect Jim Morton from the City of Melbourne.
To date, ten experimental plots have been established and planted, forming a distributed field laboratory embedded within the park. These plots are being actively developed over time, including interplanting to increase vegetative density and support habitat conditions for species reintroduction. The work operates as an adaptive process, with planting structure, species composition, and maintenance regimes forming part of the experimental design, testing, and refinement.
The designed experiments focus on:
• enhancing food web connectivity and habitat complexity
• testing planting densities, species assemblages, and soil conditions
• developing maintenance strategies as part of the experimental design
• integrating research, design, and on-ground management
In addition to ecological outcomes, the project creates opportunities for public engagement and learning, demonstrating how urban ecosystems function and evolve over time.
The work takes place on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country and builds on their seasonal knowledge, which informs species lifecycles, climate relationships, and food web dynamics—particularly in relation to the matchstick grasshopper. This cultural-ecological framework guides design decisions and long-term stewardship strategies.
The plots serve as a platform for:
• collaboration between designers, ecologists, and land managers
• development of citizen science and monitoring programs
• translation of research into visible, accessible landscape interventions
As a work in progress, the Royal Park Designed Experiments establish a model for embedding long-term ecological research within public landscapes—linking design, science, and community in the ongoing evolution of urban biodiversity.
Central to the work is collaboration with Michael Kearney and Ary Hoffmann from the School of Biosciences at the University of Melbourne, who are leading the reintroduction of matchstick grasshoppers (Vandiemenella viatica). The project is also developed in partnership with landscape architect Jim Morton from the City of Melbourne.
To date, ten experimental plots have been established and planted, forming a distributed field laboratory embedded within the park. These plots are being actively developed over time, including interplanting to increase vegetative density and support habitat conditions for species reintroduction. The work operates as an adaptive process, with planting structure, species composition, and maintenance regimes forming part of the experimental design, testing, and refinement.
The designed experiments focus on:
• enhancing food web connectivity and habitat complexity
• testing planting densities, species assemblages, and soil conditions
• developing maintenance strategies as part of the experimental design
• integrating research, design, and on-ground management
In addition to ecological outcomes, the project creates opportunities for public engagement and learning, demonstrating how urban ecosystems function and evolve over time.
The work takes place on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country and builds on their seasonal knowledge, which informs species lifecycles, climate relationships, and food web dynamics—particularly in relation to the matchstick grasshopper. This cultural-ecological framework guides design decisions and long-term stewardship strategies.
The plots serve as a platform for:
• collaboration between designers, ecologists, and land managers
• development of citizen science and monitoring programs
• translation of research into visible, accessible landscape interventions
As a work in progress, the Royal Park Designed Experiments establish a model for embedding long-term ecological research within public landscapes—linking design, science, and community in the ongoing evolution of urban biodiversity.
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