Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
(e.g., Baron et al. 2002). And the likelihood of droughts and increased general aridity
will probably increase as a result of climate change (Dai 2010). Restorationists will be
asked to find ways to reverse or moderate these losses.
There are also increasing demands on restoration projects to provide carbon se-
questration as a way to mitigate human activities that contribute to climate change
and reduce future societal costs in terms of flooding, extreme weather events, fires,
droughts, and other impacts. With the high social cost of carbon, demand for carbon
sequestration services from restoration projects can supersede other ecosystem process
targets that would have more direct local benefits, such as water quality improvement.
Restoration planners and restorationists need to remember that, while carbon seques-
tration is important, prioritizing carbon sequestration above other restoration goals
can have other, unintended consequences in terms of biodiversity and water quality,
for example.
There are many other challenges and dangers as well. Uncertainty exists about
how species and ecosystems will adapt to climate change (Thomas et al. 2004; Hulme
2005). Consequently, systems might require restoration activities to help with that
transition, which will not be an easy task either scientifically or in terms of implemen-
tation. In addition, restorationists will face pressure to protect certain charismatic and
rare species in their current locations, even if climate-induced changes in habitat
make those environments no longer well suited to supporting their populations.
Restorationists should also expect new conflicts with other land and resource uses to
arise. For instance, corridors or new habitats might need to be established to prevent
extinctions and maintain ecosystem functions, although agricultural interests may
take precedence over natural resources in order to feed an ever-expanding population
on a shrinking arable land base. In addition, shifting ecotones will either make on-site
restoration projects more difficult to meet species-specific demands or trigger new
conflicts over areas for transition that are already in use. With uncertainty concerning
the specific areas that will be suitable in the future for specific species or ecosystem
functions, there will be some incentive to wait and see before undertaking large resto-
ration projects. However, with evidence that changes in ecosystems may evolve more
rapidly than current planning processes, there won't be time to wait and see, particu-
larly for scarce and fragile ecosystems.
Promoting Ecological Restoration in a World of Climate Change
When public funds are scarce and restoration projects become more expensive and
less likely to be successful, restoration planners and restorationists must understand
what to do, including developing new goals, designs, and approaches that increase the
benefit of a project to society and the environment. For instance, with increased flood
risk due to sea-level rise and reduced stream flows, society will have increased demand
for functional watersheds and floodplains (e.g., New Orleans, Puget Sound, coastal
marshes in England and elsewhere). Moreover, finding ways to achieve and commu-
nicate the benefits of restoration projects in terms of mitigating the effects of carbon
emissions on climate and adapting to the unavoidable effects of climate change will
