Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
For successful outcomes, the restoration process
should be open to community participation, and
stakeholders must have their opinions heard
and included from the early stages of project
inception through post-completion stewardship
(Ramsar 2003). Research from the developing
world indicates that the long-term participation
of locally dependent communities is often a
necessary condition for the success of ecological
restoration projects (Society for Ecological Res-
toration International and IUCN Commission on
Ecosystem Management (SERI IUCN) 2004).
Planning for disturbance
- Restored
systems must be resilient enough to withstand
and recover from natural and human-induced
stresses (Society for Ecological Restoration Inter-
national (SERI) 2004). As with reference ecosys-
tems, restored ones should be able to endure
periodic storms, l ood and drought events, i res,
and changes in human resource-use patterns,
without long-term degradation to structure and
function.
Monitoring, evaluation and stewardship
-
All restoration projects start with a series of
goals and objectives. Monitoring progress
throughout the project plays an essential role in
evaluating whether project objectives have been
met and the restoration process has been suc-
cessful. Monitoring through systematic data col-
lection at periodic intervals helps gauge the
performance of structural and functional pro-
cesses implemented within a wetland site. To
allow for temporal comparison, monitoring sites
should remain constant and could be pre-
determined in the initial planning stages of the
project. They may comprise set transect lines,
identii ed bench marks, well sites, stream-l ow
gauges, and water-quality monitoring stations,
all of which could be surveyed using global
positioning systems (GPS) and hence easily
tracked over time (Clewell, Rieger and Munro
2005).
Evaluation criteria and performance expecta-
tions for restored ecosystems are generally
spelled out during the initiation of a project.
Reference ecosystems that display similar char-
acteristics are often used to evaluate the per-
formance of restored sites. Even though restored
wetland ecosystems may be designed to be self
sustaining, long-term stewardship mechanisms
ensure that investments into restoration are sus-
tained and pay continuing dividends.
It is difi cult to predict the outcome of
restored or created wetlands with any degree of
certainty (Zedler 2000). This is largely due to
the myriad conditions that inl uence the distri-
bution and occurrence of species and the organ-
ization of different elements within the system.
Trying to anticipate how these might play out
beforehand is nearly impossible. Designing self-
organizing systems which take advantage of
natural processes should incorporate adapta-
tions that could help an ecosystem withstand
stresses and ensure long-term productivity.
13.4 Restoration and enhancement
considerations
The scope and scale of wetland restoration or
enhancement projects necessitate a signii cant
amount of pre-planning. A sequence of steps
similar to those outlined in chapter 12.3 of this
topic is often followed for restoration projects
as well. Additional considerations in planning
restoration projects are described in brief below
and follow recommendations from national and
international organizations such as Ramsar, the
Society for Ecological Restoration International,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Selecting a site
- The selection of a site for
restoration itself is often an involved process
and takes into consideration a host of factors
(Ramsar 2003). These may include the:
• ecological importance of the site itself.
• expected environmental and social benei ts
from restoration, both local and those
beyond the immediate region.
• economic costs to be expended.
• availability of i nancial resources.
• long-term economic benei ts through
increased tourism or habitat protection, etc.
• specii c local benei ts to communities and
stakeholders.
• anticipated technical difi culties in executing
a project and possible solutions.
