lecture 11 Flashcards
restoration goal
• Goal: bring back species and habitats to the condition previous to destruction
• Need for restoration is clear in very developed areas
○ Lots of abandoned land that could be beneficially restored
• Removing things (such as invasive species) or adding species that were previously present, OR, restoring the function of an area (abiotic- ex. Removal of a dam blocking water)
restoration issues
- Ex. If you convert land to farm land and convert back, it may take a long time for the land to recover back to its natural state
- Ex. Replanting of mangroves in tourist areas
- But - what exact state do you want it restored to?
- Ex. Do you want it to be how it was in 1980 or 2001?
restoration trade off?
○ A resource made be made available IF restoration occurs
○ Ex. Pipelines
○ Ex. Replanting seeds to replace destroyed vegetation
how does restoration work
• Main idea - system is not just left without any effort made for recovery
○ Ex. Oil sands topsoil - collected in one spot - bring soil back to area after mining is completed
• Minimize impact of exploitation that is economically going to take place
• Needs lots of monitoring and survey + sampling of species, abiotic conditions, chemical levels, etc
• What are possible actions for restoration?
• No action
• Rehabilitation - not restoration of habitat - the restoration of function to area
○ Not adding, but removing a dam for example
• Partial restoration
Complete restoration
restoration length ex
• Restoration time period may be very lengthy depending on damage
○ Ex. Rainforest cut down for cattle - leaving it unused - restoration requires a few decades
resotration steps?
A. determine overarching goa; B. evaluate non ecological factors C. evaluate ecological factors D. establish a realistic restoration objective E. create site specific restoration plan F. conduct pre project monitoring G. implement plan H. conduct post project monitoring I engage adaptive management
considerations for restoration?
ecosystem state, abiotic and biotic barriers
• Degraded - abiotic conditions impacted negatively
Intact - natural sp., maintained
restoration in urban areas - what does it require? ex?
• Manipulation
• Requires lots of collaboration
• Ex. Project in korea to excavate a waterway that was buried under a road
○ Ecologically beneficial and improved public use as it is now an area for nature appreciation
restoration of landfills ex
• Disposal of waste is a fundamental challenge in urban areas
• Ex. Manhattan landfill
○ Restored from landfill to a functional park + nature reserve
○ Took decades
○ Optimistic view - even a landfill can become usable and beautiful land
• Restoration using organisms example
• Cautionary tale
• Netherlands ecologist wanted to return abandoned landscapes to natural conditions via addition of organisms
• The animals were successful in breeding + establishment - however, the vegetation was destroyed as the animals became high in density
○ No natural movement of predators or introduction of predators
• Area became over grazed w/ no food - many of the animals began to starve
biocontrol ex?
• Species can be a part of restoration in other ways
• Invasive plant out competing ex
○ Intermixed with native plants - mechanical or chemical removal would get rid of all the plants
○ After long study, a beetle that naturally feeds on the invasive plant was introduced to reduce
○ After - native species grew amongst dead invasive trees
issues w biocont
• Very hard to implement - often dangerous to release a species to an area where it is not native
○ Might switch hosts and feed on other plants
pairies ex
- Prairie ecosystems amendable to agriculture- particularly endangered
- Restoration of these habitats- grasses etc
• Tropical dry forest case study: Guanacaste (ACG)
• Costa rica
• Historically important - one of the first efforts on a large scale to restore habitat
• More diversity in the forest than most of NA
• Cleared land for small scale agriculture
• Lots of this forest was decimated- biodiversity not preserved
Project to restore it -
• Restoration included:
○ Eliminated fire use for land management
○ Stop logging and hunting
○ Tree planting was started but stopped- in practice, it was too slow and expensive
○ Protected surrounding rain forests
○ Biocultural restoration program implemented
• Ultimately recognized that surrounding forest acted as a buffer to the tropical dry forest
