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Published byElinor Terry Modified over 9 years ago
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Restoration Ecology Burning South Prairie – April 2013
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What are we trying to do in our ecological restorations?
“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)
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Another definition Ecological Restoration- the full or partial replacement of biological populations and/or their habitats that have been extinguished or diminished. Ideally the restoration will return normal ecosystem function to an area and hopefully the project will also have social or economic value to humans Restoration Ecology is the study of restoration; ER is the process of restoration
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of Ecological Restoration
A (Very) Brief History of Ecological Restoration
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Early examples of ecological restoration
1300s – forest restoration Nurnberger Reichswald 1660 – John Evelyn – restoration of English landscape Late 1700s, early 1800s – restoration of Italian and French mountain forests 1859 – restoration of the Thames River, London 1878 – restoration of the Back Bay Fens, Boston Early 1900s – restoration of rangeland in American West 1936 – Restoration of Curtis Prairie – U. of Wisconsin Arboretum
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King’s College Chapel, Cambridge
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The Man Who Planted Trees
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Environmental Restoration in the American West
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Restoration in London – after the Great Stink of 1858
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Response to the Great Stink – Improve Drainage and Restore Streams
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Improved Drainage Following The Great Stink
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Improving sewage flow in London – an on-going project – Jan
Improving sewage flow in London – an on-going project – Jan proposal
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Restoration in Boston - 1879
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Back Bay Fens Today
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Restoration in the Midwest
Nachusa Grasslands
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Aldo Leopold planting at the Shack - 1936
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CCC crewman planting Curtis Prairie - 1936
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CCC crew watering Curtis Prairie – late 1930’s
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University of Wisconsin Arboretum
Curtis Prairie – planted Greene Prairie – planted University of Wisconsin Arboretum
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The Founders of Green Oaks – Henry Green, George Ward,
Alvah Green, and Paul Shepard
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Green Oaks prior to prairie restoration – South Prairie
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Early prairie establishment at Green Oaks – late 50’s
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Pete Schramm burning the Prairie – 1980’s
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Prairie Fire April 2013
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Green Oaks from the Air
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100 sites monitored for long-term studies of restoration success
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Plan for Green Network, Chicago Area
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Restoration Projects Can Be Highly Variable
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Excellent story on wolf restoration in the West
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A more complex and typical restoration project
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Salt marsh restoration plan in Rhode Island
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Salt marsh restoration plan in Rhode Island
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Phragmites and Spartina
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Mine Reclamation – the most difficult restoration project
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Mine reclamation in progress
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Mitigation Mitigation is the alleviation of some process
Compensatory Mitigation is related to restoration - mitigation is sometimes required when a group wants to develop a wild area such as a wetland and thus destroy the wetland
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Controversies about Mitigation
Often the success rate for mitigation projects is fairly low Many ecologists fear that if mitigation is seen to be successful we will allow many development projects to proceed with the assumption we can easily recreate nature - however there is some question as to how well we can actually restore what is lost or destroyed
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Mitigation with Woodrow Wilson Bridge Construction
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Restoration of Louisiana salt marsh - post BP oil spill mitigation
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Mitigation of ANWR?
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1967 Torrey Canyon Oil spill
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1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill
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1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill
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Exxon Valdez oil spill clean efforts
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Tony Bradshaw
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Flavors of Reclamation
Reclamation is the general process of repairing damaged ecosystems Restoration - here we attempt to put back exactly what existed in the ecosystem prior to the disturbance Rehabilitation - here we attempt to put back most of what existed in the ecosystem prior to the disturbance, but we don't try to put everything back Replacement - no attempt is made to restore what was lost - here we replace the original ecosystem with another one Recovery or neglect - here we allow nature to takes it course - depend upon natural processes of seed dispersal and germination to start plants, natural dispersal of animals to repopulate the area Enhancement - activity designed to improve the ecosystem, even if the change is fairly minimal
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Walnut Creek NWR – now named Neil Smith NWR
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Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge
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Neil Smith NWR Prairie
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Neil Smith NWR Prairie
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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
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Nachusa Grasslands
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Restoration of a Garbage Dump – Fresh Kills, Staten Island, NY
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Fresh Kills
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Fresh Kills Restoration – Replacement of Ecosystem
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Enhancement
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Reintroduction of Animals
Only 16 of 145 reintroductions of captive bred individuals have been successful 86% of reintroductions of native game animals have been successful 46% of reintroductions of native threatened, endangered or sensitive animals have been successful
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European Bison Historic (Holocene) Distribution
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European Bison – Current Distribution
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Six basic steps for restoring an ecosystem
1. Set a goal 2. Determine a strategy and methods 3. Remove the source of degradation 4. Restore the physical environment 5. Restore the biota 6. Be patient – restoration takes time
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Always Remember: As Frank Egler said, “Ecosystems are not only more complex than we think, ecosystems are more complex than we can think.”
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