Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
HIGH
(SEMI-) NATURAL LANDSCAPES
CULTURAL LANDSCAPES
LOW
Time
Environmental restoration
Restoration management
Maintenance management
DEFINITION
Complex of purposive actions
to initiate natural abiotic
processes and/or to create
favourable conditions for
nature development
Complex of purposive actions
to control nature development:
Establisment and development
of new communities, or
drastic restoration of
degraded communities
Complex of purposive actions
directed to maintenance or
less drastic restoration
of communities
MEASURES
Mostly artificial short
measures by humans
Also long-lasting
natural processes, mostly
controlled by humans
Mostly long-lasting measures;
often changes in the
measures and/or in the
intensity of the measures
will take place, dependent
on the developments in the
communities and the goal
of nature development
Duration of measures unlimited
Constancy (or only slight
changes) in the measures
and in the intensity of
the measures
Predominantly abiotic
Predominantly biotic
Predominantly biotic
EXAMPLES
Removal of nutrient-rich top soil
Restoring relief
Restoring hydrological conditions
Initiating, or withdrawing
preventions against natural
erosion and sedimentation by
wind or water
Mostly laissez-faire
Grazing
Mowing
Chopping
Cutting sods
Mostly laissez-faire
Grazing
Mowing
Chopping
Cutting sods
COMMUNITIES
Great changes in a short time;
the communities before
environmental restoration
disappear totally or for the
greater part
In the beginning (after
environmental restoration)
great changes in the
communities; later on
gradually decreasing changes
Constancy (possibly slight
changes) in the communities,
or cyclic changes
PART OF HUMANS IN NATURE DEVELOPMENT
Nature development is a totally or largely spontaneous
process by which (mostly target but not always predictable)
communities establish with a higher nature conservation interest
and/or higher rate of naturalness than the
communities present before
HUMAN ACTIONS FOR NATURE
Fig. 2.1
Schematic overview of management aspects of ecological restoration and nature conservation.
After Bakker and Londo (1998). Reproduced by permission of the authors.
