LEED AP Building Design and Construction (BD+C) Practice Exam

What areas can be excluded from soil restoration requirements when restoring habitat?

1. Parking lots

2. Athletic fields

3. Concrete areas

4. Roadways

The correct answer is: Athletic fields

Soil restoration is an essential practice in habitat restoration projects, focusing on improving soil quality to support the re-establishment of native vegetation and ecosystems. In some contexts, athletic fields may be designed primarily for recreational use and might not be intended as ecologically functioning habitats. These fields might have been constructed with specialized turf or management practices, limiting their potential for high-quality habitat restoration. Therefore, they can be excluded from soil restoration requirements because the priority is often given to critical habitats that support diverse and native ecosystems over maintained athletic areas. In contrast, parking lots, concrete areas, and roadways typically represent more concrete or paved surfaces with little to no soil and vegetation present, making restoration efforts either impossible or irrelevant. While restoring soil might not be applicable to these areas, they often require different types of environmental management to address their contributions to urban heat islands, runoff, and overall ecological impact. Thus, the focus for restoration is more on areas that can truly support the rehabilitation of native habitats rather than areas primarily used for athletics.