Restoration

Question 1

What is ecological restoration?

Answer 1

• Ecological restoration aims to recreate, initiate or accelerate the recovery of an ecosystem that has been disturbed
• Ideally, the restoration will return normal ecosystem function to an area.

Question 2

Why restore?

Answer 2

• Restoring ecosystem services
• Mitigating impacts to ecosystems elsewhere
• Habitat for threatened or endangered species
• Aesthetic concerns, moral reasons
• Legal requirements (e.g. Clean Water Act)
• Improve human livelihoods
• Empower local people
• Improve ecosystem productivity

Question 3

Habitat loss in the USA

Answer 3

• 53% of wetlands lost nationwide
• 50-70% loss of brackish intertidal mudflats
• 70% of riparian forests nationwide

Question 4

Restoring structure and function

Answer 4

• Structure: The characteristic structure of an ecosystem is obtained by the systematic physical organization of the abiotic and the biotic components of that particular ecosystem
• Function: The characteristic exchanges of material energy and nutrients within an ecosystem are called ecosystem functions
• The specific ecosystem functions that are apparently beneficial to human civilization are called ecosystem services

Question 5

Shifting baseline

Answer 5

• A shifting baseline is a type of change to how a system is measured, usually against previous reference points (baselines) which themselves may represent significant changes from an even earlier state of the system

Question 6

Approaches for restoration

Answer 6

• Natural succession
• Engineering interventions
• Disturbance regime: (Fire, flooding)
• Planting native vegetation
• Removing invasive species
• Reintroducing animal species: incl ecosystem engineers

Question 7

Ecosystem engineers

Answer 7

• Ecosystem engineers can reintroduce functions and help change structure and composition!
  Southern Cairngorms: > 50% of wetland area
  destroyed during the 20th century

Question 8

Rewilding

Answer 8

• Rewilding is large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas, and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species.

Question 9

Rewilding in the UK

Answer 9

• We cannot go back with re-wilding
  “Natural” past is not tenable as a model
• Conditions uncertain
• Climate and soil have changed
• Species gained and lost
• Human influence being pushed back in time

Can we go forward?
* Develop towards future natural regime?
* Withdraw obvious driving human influences
* Give up targets
* Focus on allowing ‘natural’ processes

Question 10

Issues with rewilding and conservation in the UK

Answer 10

• Conservation: Trajectory unpredictable, may lose abundant spp, loss of grassland & heath to woodland?
  Regulation: Welfare legislation, reintroduction difficult, disease issues
  Public: Lose treasured landscapes, loss public access to land, Concern over danger to stock & humans (predators esp)