Introduction to Restoration Ecology What is ecological restoration?

Why do restoration? Human impacts threaten integrity, resilience and sustainability –Introduced species, structures, and processes –Altered disturbance regimes –Fragmentation –Changing climate

What are the goals of restoration? Make ecosystems more like they once were Reduce need for continual intervention and active management Sustainability Ecological integrity Resilience

Defining ecological restoration “the process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Ecological integrity includes a critical range of variability in biodiversity, ecological processes and structures, regional and historical context and sustainable cultural practices” (Society for Ecological Restoration,

Defining ecological restoration A “broad conceptual framework for helping ecosystems recover more nearly natural structure and function while providing for continued use by humans. For ecological restoration to proceed on sound scientific footing, it must be rooted in the best knowledge available, with carefully reasoned analysis, checked against factual evidence.”

Similar terms (Bradshaw 1997, van Diggelen et al. 2001) Reclamation –Makes useful, but not necessarily original state –Typically focuses on increasing biodiversity –Often applied in highly disturbed sites Rehabilitation –Reintroduces some ecosystem functions –Any improvement from a degraded state Restoration –Most ambitious –Typically attempts to reconstruct structure, composition and function of an ecosystem

Successful restoration Some of the oldest and most successful restoration projects are in prairies Many restoration projects include restoring natural fire regimes

Restoration includes (Bradshaw 1997, Jackson et al. 1995, Keane and Arno 2001) Assess need for action –Inventory and describe –Consider humans in an integrated ecological approach Identify goals and objectives Prioritize Design and implement treatments Monitor and evaluate success Maintain Use adaptive management

Choosing references (White and Walker 1997, Landres et al. 1999, Stephenson 1999) References are used in judging when restoration is successful References can be existing conditions in healthy ecosystems, or they may be inferred from historical information and models Historical composition, structure, and disturbance regimes should be guides rather than goals

Assumptions ( ) We can recreate historical conditions The physical environment can be manipulated to support the desired plants and animals. Inadequate substrate can be manipulated to sustain native biota. The desired biota (plants & animals) will establish if selected plant species are introduced. Reestablishing natural disturbance regimes is critical to long-term sustainability

Approaches Stephenson (1999) contrasted two: –Structure first, then process –Process first, then structure Most people implement a hybrid of the two approaches

Opportunities ( Produce native seed Support local business and communities with small-scale logging Promote as ecotourism Sequester carbon

Challenges ( Fragmented landscapes are dominated by humans Land use restrictions can affect taxes, income generation, and public support Requires interdisciplinary collaboration Long-term maintenance Gaining public support for fire and other restoration programs

Scale Most restoration efforts are small and site-specific Many restoration needs are broader (cover large areas) and long-term

Factors affecting success (Adapted from Jackson et al. 1995) Ecological circumstances Values Social commitment Judgements Ideal Rich data and expertise Narrowly anthropocentric Biocentric Poor, with irreversible damage Data and knowledge High Low Good, with little damage

Literature cited Center for restoration ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Available [Online] October 2, Ecological restoration institute, Northern Arizona University. Available [Online] October 2, Jackson, L.L., N. Lopoukhine, D. Hillyard Ecological restoration: A definition and comments. Restoration Ecology 3(2): Society for Ecological Restoration Definition of ecological restoration. Available [Online] October 2, Stephenson, N.L Reference conditions for giant sequoia forest restoration: structure, process and precision. Ecological Applications 994): Van Diggelen, R., Ab P. Grootjans and J. A. Harris Ecological restoration: state of the art or state of the science? Restoration Ecology 9 (2): White, P. S., and J. L. Walker Approximating nature’s variation: selecting and using reference information in restoration ecology. Restoration Ecology 5: