1. Restoration and reconciliation Bio 415/615

2. Questions 1. How is ecological restoration defined? 2. How is reconciliation ecology different from restoration? 3. How can ecosystem degradation be ‘self-reinforcing’? 4. What is ecological succession, and why does restoration depend on our understanding of it?

3. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Society for Ecological Restoration, Science and Policy Working Group. 2002. The SER Primer on Ecological Restoration. www.ser.org.

4. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Peat bog restoration, Quebec (www.ser.org) BEFOREAFTER

5. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Coal mine restoration, Spain (www.ser.org) BEFOREAFTER

6. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. SW Oregon: restoration of mixed conifer forest (www.ser.org) BEFOREAFTER

7. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Westchester Co., NY (www.ser.org) BEFOREAFTER

8. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Roadside in Glacier NP, Canada (www.ser.org) BEFOREAFTER

9. Why do we need ecosystem restoration?

10. 53% of the wetlands in the continental U.S. have been destroyed (~same rate globally) (Mitsch and Gosselink 2007) 70% of the pocosin wetlands in the U.S. (pictured) have been destroyed T. Eallonardo

11. About 90% of the grasslands in the U.S. have been converted to other uses (Gibson 2009) T. Eallonardo

12. Though estimates vary widely, median estimates of vegetated land degradation during the 1990’s were about 600 ha per hour (Whisenant1999) T. Eallonardo

16. Reference systems: resilience and the moving target

17. T. Eallonardo

18. Reference systems: resilience and the moving target Resilience is the tendency for ecosystems to recover previous patterns of abiotic and biotic processes following disturbance.

19. What should the goals of restoration be? 1.Recognize, and thus allow for, uncertainty 2.Design for resilience (back to the role of diversity?) 3.Loosen the criteria for success (consider invasive species?)

20. Reference information A reference ecosystem is a model for planning restoration. A major question is how specific the reference should be, given the community should be allowed to change or fluctuate with environmental conditions and successional stage. Sources of information for reference sites: - observation of adjacent sites - sampling other similar ecosystems - historical literature - herbaria, museums - community descriptions (e.g., NY Natural Heritage program)

21. Reference Dynamics Historic range of variationHistoric range of variation Natural range of variabilityNatural range of variability Structure and composition are easier to measure than process/functionStructure and composition are easier to measure than process/function

22. Restoration practices echo the natural processes of ecological succession T. Eallonardo

23. Basic techniques involved in each process T. Eallonardo

28. Restoration versus reconciliation Human domination of ecosystems (agricultural, urban, suburban) is not slowing down. If opportunities for restoration become limited, how else to preserve biodiversity on a human-dominated Earth?

29. Janzen argues that protected lands increasingly are and should be ‘gardens’— that is, part of our extended phenotype, and thus explicitly tied to human welfare. Do you agree? What would Leopold say? Are restoration and gardening different?

30. Reconciliation Ecology ‘Win-win ecology’: Michael Rosenzweig Reconciliation Ecology is the science of inventing, establishing and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work or play. Reconciliation Ecology seeks environmentally sound ways for us to continue to use the land for our own benefit.Reconciliation Ecology is the science of inventing, establishing and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work or play. Reconciliation Ecology seeks environmentally sound ways for us to continue to use the land for our own benefit. To practice Reconciliation Ecology, we must pay close attention to our treatment of the land. We must back off a bit — not on the amount of land we take for ourselves — but on how we transform it for our use. Right now, our footprint is too big. Going barefoot is not the answer but the time has come to trade in our jackboots for the grace and elegance of ballet slippers.To practice Reconciliation Ecology, we must pay close attention to our treatment of the land. We must back off a bit — not on the amount of land we take for ourselves — but on how we transform it for our use. Right now, our footprint is too big. Going barefoot is not the answer but the time has come to trade in our jackboots for the grace and elegance of ballet slippers. The careful foot can walk anywhere.