Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
22.1 INTRODUCTION
insights into the complexity of ecosystem structure
and functioning, and responses to interventions and
disturbances, applicable to the practice of ecological
restoration on a case - by - case basis.
Another thing we now know concerns the limita-
tions to truly restoring ecosystems, in the sense of
going back to the way things were before. We now see
that a large part of the Earth's soils and surface, includ-
ing the ocean fl oors and the tops of mountains, and the
very atmosphere, are so deeply transformed by human
activities that biodiversity worldwide is plummeting
and non-analogue biotic communities and ecosystems
- sometimes referred to as 'emerging ecosystems' (as in
Chapter 2) and sometimes as 'novel ecosystems' (as in
Chapter 3) - are now increasingly replacing historical
ones. However, as strongly emphasized by Murcia et al .
(in press), this does not alter the fact that in many, many
places, restoration is still a very good option indeed
provided, of course, that we recall the lessons outlined
in this topic and adopt the SER paradigm of 'restoring
to the future' and the principle of adaptive manage-
ment (Figure 22.1). Restoration must also be integrated
in the larger goal of helping move society towards a
more 'sustainable and desirable future' (Costanza et al .
2006), with restoration of natural capital and enhance-
ment of ecosystem services pursued in tandem with
conserving biodiversity (Bullock et al . 2011 ; Figure
22.1). But that requires that we all contribute to forging
a new language capable of communicating across dis-
ciplines to meet the unprecedented challenges involved
in this project. In view of humankind's rapidly growing
numbers and given our very deep ecological footprint,
a footprint that is growing deeper and wider day by day,
we need to work hard on achieving a more enlightened,
just and sustainable mode of living; ecological restora-
tion has a large role to play in that scheme. Finally, it
is essential that we keep sight of the importance of
historical reference systems as guides and benchmarks
for restoration, without which the whole enterprise
loses its ecological bearings.
So, what do restoration ecologists need to know
about the best paths towards sustainability that are
currently under discussion, and is there any good news
out there?
The last two chapters dealt with the global phenome-
non of biological invasions, the multifaceted concept
of resilience and 'shifting baselines' in population and
community dynamics, especially as these complex
issues and ideas affect ecological restoration in today's
rapidly changing world. In this fi nal chapter, we come
back to economics, politics and transdisciplinarity, all
of which were introduced in Chapter 2, as key for the
integration and mainstreaming of ecological restora-
tion and restoration ecology. Once again, we address
ourselves primarily to scientists starting their careers
in the rapidly growing and evolving fi eld of restoration
ecology, who aspire to contribute towards the further
development of sustainability science.
22.2 RESTORATION ECOLOGY
REVISITED
In the introduction to Part 4, we asked whether resto-
ration ecology could really help society to fi nd a way
towards sustainable use, development, conservation
and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The answer to that question, we think, is 'Affi rmative ' ,
despite the complexity of this task. Firstly, the science
of restoration ecology and the practice of ecological
restoration have advanced enormously in the last 30
years, as is amply shown in the fi rst 21 chapters of this
topic. We have also gained signifi cant new insights
from functional and evolutionary ecology, covering
landscapes, ecosystems, communities and populations.
The body of practical know-how is also growing fast.
Anyone seeking to restore any of a huge range of eco-
systems - including arctic, tropical, temperate, arid,
montane, coastal and wetland systems - can already
fi nd considerable guidance in both conceptual and
practical terms.
We now also have much keener insights into the
complexity of, and obstacles to, ecological restoration,
not only within a traditional ecological framework of
analysis but also from a more advanced and holistic
socio-ecological perspective. It's important to realize
how challenging it is to promote and assist the self-
regeneration of ecological systems that have been
transformed, degraded or deeply impaired by human
profl igacy and mismanagement in the past; it's not just
a matter of planting a few trees or removing a few
dams. One main challenge is to make the scientifi c
22.2.1 Economics and Politics
The best roadmap we can report here is called the Eco-
nomics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), the
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