Ecological Restoration Flashcards
What is ecological restoration?
The process of assisting the recovery of a degraded or damaged ecosystem
to restore a system, population or habitat
What’s an example of a system that is being restored?
the Kissimmee River Restoration project in the Everglades, Florida
Describe the Kissimmee River Restoration Project in the Everglades of Florida
land was changed for agricultural use and they made a 10 m deep straight canal which caused flooding and changed the ecosystem (>90% water fowl and 75% nesting bald eagle declines)
natural disaster and economic reasons for restoration
project acquired 40,000 hectares
wading bird population 5x greater
organic deposits on the river bottom declined by 70% and the river flow increased
dissolved oxygen increased to normal range
game fish population increased
Describe an ecosystem process and give an example of the restoration of one
there’s a component/process of an ecosystem that is required for the ecosystem to be healthy
ex. controlled and prescribed burning is a major process for most Canadian ecosystems to manage the health of those ecosystems
there is attempt to restore this process back into the landscape to mitigate the effects of wildfires
Describe landscape-scale linkage restoration and provide examples
restoring linkages across large areas so that migratory species or large mammals with big territories have room to roam
ex. Gondwana link project in Australia, Yellowstone to Yukon link project, A-A region in eastern Canada, grizzlies in Rockies
What are some examples of local/regional restoration projects?
English ivy removal on VI and Vancouver, specifically beacon hill park
Uvic Eco restoration club has been actively restoring Garry Oak meadow near Mt. Tolmie by removing snowberry and himalayan blackberry
In what ways can restoration be measurable? How do we measure?
health, integrity, sustainability of ecosystems
we need legitimate goals, policies, or objectives in place and we must be clear in our definition of our goals and what we’re trying to measure
What kinds of ecosystems are usually restored?
very degraded or completely destroyed ecosystems
What are we usually aiming to restore a destroyed/degraded ecosystem to?
usually to the historic conditions
what the ecosystem was once like, but we need to know the historic conditions to be able to achieve this
Why is it not always possible to restore a damaged ecosystem to its historic conditions?
there may not be available information on what the historic conditions were
the landscape may have changed so much it’s not possible to return it to the former state
altered trajectory: the historic conditions may not be what is right for the future of the ecosystem and now it’s important to consider the role of ecological restoration in the context of climate change and vice versa
What are historical conditions? What would we consider looking at?
the previous/original state of an altered landscape and what ecological restoration projects would look towards for guidance on how we might want to restore the damaged ecosystem
ex. what species do we want to exist there? either by bringing back or removing? what ecological processes are important for the health/integrity/sustainability of the ecosystem?
Provide an example of contemporary constraints and conditions on a landscape
Nova Scotia by the Bay of Fundy has been fundamentally changed due to agriculture (ex. roads, animal pastures, etc.) which has placed major constraints on ecosystem processes and ‘wild’ spaces have been confined to the places that couldn’t be converted to agriculture so these ecosystem processes cannot continue
Why is starting an ecological restoration project not as easy as it should be?
resources:
a lot of time, money, effort, need a clear proposal for what the ecosystem needs
decisions need to be made collectively and must listen to multiple perspectives
Why is it better to have a collection of perspectives when creating a restoration proposal?
It’s unlikely one person will have the perfect solution and it’s important to listen to different perspectives
What happens once it’s been agreed that restoration will happen?
careful, systematic planning and writing a clear report with a plan to make sure the project will work and how to manage the project to ensure it’s working
What are the series of steps followed to ensure effective restoration?
1a. identify natural and cultural heritage values of site
1b. determine IUCN protected management category
2. define the problem (inventory and monitoring)
3. develop goals based on principles (effective, efficient, engaging)
4. develop objectives by selecting guidelines according to the type of intervention
5. develop detailed plan
6. implement plan
7. monitor and report
What kind of interventions can be used for restoration?
It will be different from place to place
we can:
improve management strategies (ex. fire, invasive species)
improve biotic interactions (revegetation, species introduction)
improve abiotic interactions (ex. landforms, hydrology)
improve landscapes and seascapes (ex. regional connectivity)
Give an example of an intervention used at a local scale
ex. Garry Oak learning meadow at Fort Rodd Hill : Parks Canada helps manage the restoration and protection of species at risk by removing invasive grasses and planting native plants = improvement of management strategies
ex. Elwha River by Mount Olympus : knocking out 2 dams to restore the flow of water and increase the capacity for salmon = abiotic, biotic, landscape/seascape
What is the goal of restoration?
to achieve the desired trajectory and have the ecosystem continue on its own without human intervention, ie., allow natural processes to take over
Why are restoration and management a continuum?
restoration begins the challenge by hopefully bringing the damaged ecosystem back to a healthier state and management maintains the continued wellbeing of the restored ecosystem
ex. restoration of garry oak meadows by removing invasive species and planting native species and following it with continued management by traditional and sustainable human practices
How do we know when an ecosystem has been successfully recovered?
- character assemblage of the reference ecosystem is present - ex. the species we expect to be there
- consists of native species with an evolutionary history in that site (to the greatest practical extent)
- all functional groups for continued development or stability are present or have the potential to colonize there by natural means
- physical environment is in a state that’s capable of sustaining reproducing populations of the species necessary for continued stability or development with desired trajectory
- ecosystem functions normally for its development and signs of dysfunction are absent
- restored ecosystem is integrated into larger ecological matrix/landscape
- remove or reduce as many threats to health and integrity as possible
- ecosystem is sufficiently resilient and can survive impacts of disturbances
- ecosystem is self-sustaining as possible
