Restoration and reconciliation Bio 415/615. Questions 1. How is ecological restoration defined? 2. How is reconciliation ecology different from restoration?

Restoration and reconciliation

Bio 415/615

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?

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.


Peat bog restoration, Quebec (www.ser.org)

BEFORE AFTER


Coal mine restoration, Spain (www.ser.org)

BEFORE AFTER


SW Oregon: restoration of mixed conifer forest (www.ser.org)

BEFORE AFTER


Westchester Co., NY (www.ser.org)

BEFORE AFTER


Roadside in Glacier NP, Canada (www.ser.org)

BEFORE AFTER

Why do we need ecosystem Why do we need ecosystem restoration?restoration?

53% of the wetlands in the continental U.S. have been destroyed (~same rate globally) (Mitsch and Gosselink 2007)

70% of the pocosin 70% of the pocosin wetlands in the U.S. (pictured) have been wetlands in the U.S. (pictured) have been destroyeddestroyed

T. EallonardoT. Eallonardo

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


Though estimates vary widely, median Though estimates vary widely, median estimates of vegetated land degradation during estimates of vegetated land degradation during the 1990’s were about 600 ha per hour the 1990’s were about 600 ha per hour (Whisenant1999)(Whisenant1999)


T. Eallonardo

T. Eallonardo

T. Eallonardo

Reference systems: resilience and the moving target

T. Eallonardo

Reference systems: resilience and the moving target

Resilience is the tendency for ecosystems to recover previous patterns of abiotic and biotic processes following disturbance.

What should the goals of What should the goals of restoration be?restoration be?

1.1. Recognize, and thus allow for, Recognize, and thus allow for, uncertaintyuncertainty

2.2. Design for Design for resilience resilience (back to (back to the role of the role of diversitydiversity?)?)

3.3. Loosen the criteria for success Loosen the criteria for success (consider (consider invasive speciesinvasive species?)?)

Reference informationReference informationA 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)

Reference DynamicsReference Dynamics

• Historic range of variationHistoric range of variation• Natural range of variabilityNatural range of variability• Structure and composition are Structure and composition are

easier to measure than easier to measure than process/functionprocess/function

Restoration practices echo the Restoration practices echo the natural processes of ecological natural processes of ecological

successionsuccession

T. Eallonardo

Basic techniques involved in each Basic techniques involved in each processprocess

T. Eallonardo

T. Eallonardo

Restoration versus Restoration versus reconciliationreconciliation

Human domination of ecosystems Human domination of ecosystems (agricultural, urban, suburban) is (agricultural, urban, suburban) is not slowing down.not slowing down.

If opportunities for restoration If opportunities for restoration become limited, how else to become limited, how else to preserve biodiversity on a human-preserve biodiversity on a human-dominated Earth?dominated Earth?

Janzen argues that Janzen argues that protected lands protected lands increasingly increasingly areare and and shouldshould be be ‘gardens’—that is, ‘gardens’—that is, part of our extended part of our extended phenotype, and thus phenotype, and thus explicitly tied to explicitly tied to human welfare. human welfare.

Do you agree? Do you agree? What would Leopold say? What would Leopold say? Are restoration and gardening Are restoration and gardening

different?different?

Reconciliation EcologyReconciliation Ecology‘‘Win-win ecology’: Michael RosenzweigWin-win ecology’: Michael Rosenzweig

• Reconciliation EcologyReconciliation Ecology is the science of inventing, establishing and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in is the science of inventing, establishing and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work or play.places where people live, work or play.

Reconciliation Ecology Reconciliation Ecology seeks environmentally sound ways for us to continue to use the land for our own benefitseeks environmentally sound ways for us to continue to use the land for our own benefit ..• To practice To practice Reconciliation EcologyReconciliation 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 , 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 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.ballet slippers.

The careful foot can walk anywhere.The careful foot can walk anywhere.

Documents

Restoration and reconciliation Bio 415/615. Questions 1. How is ecological restoration defined? 2. How is reconciliation ecology different from restoration?