Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
“Ecological restoration as a design discipline demands attention to tradition and nov-
elty at the same time, searching creatively across the spectrum of the arts and sciences
for the best way to respect ecological and cultural integrity (279), . . . Design is a prac-
tice that emphasizes intention, and good designs nurture individual and community
engagement” (284). In this topic, we provide a look at how environmental artists are
using their skills to create restored landscapes that provide both functional value to
the landscape, meaning to the public, and opportunities for individual and commu-
nity participation—all ideals of Higgs's design process.
Certainly the work and writings of present-day ecological restorationists with a
landscape architecture background (e.g., Dean Apostol, Keith Bowers, Leslie Sauer)
attests to the foundational role landscape architecture continues to play in the prac-
tice of ecological restoration.
Ecological Economics and Systems Studies
The relationship between ecological restoration and ecological economics is rela-
tively new but is developing quickly in light of increasing interest in the development
of local, regional, and global sustainability. The ability of ecological economists to de-
velop means of holistic accounting and to delineate concepts, such as “natural capi-
tal” (e.g., Costanza and Daly 1992) and “ecosystem services” (e.g., Costanza et al.
1997; Daily 1997), have been instrumental in moving the field forward. The value of
ecological restoration has recently been conveyed in terms of augmented ecosystem
services and investments in natural capital (Clewell and Aronson 2006; Aronson, Mil-
ton, and Blignaut 2006; Aronson et al. 2007). By restoring natural structure, function,
and process to landscapes, restorationists can return and enhance a suite of ecosystem
services that have been previously negatively affected by human disturbance. Clewell
and Aronson (2006) suggest that the pragmatic rationale for restoration of ecosystems
is primarily derived from these gains in ecosystem services and that this is currently
one of the most compelling, yet untapped, motivations for restoration.
In this topic, we agree that augmenting ecosystem services and natural capital is,
indeed, a justifiable motivation for restoring landscapes, and it is one of the lenses
through which we view the human dimensions of ecological restoration. We also
acknowledge the transcendent work of C. S. “Buzz” Holling, Lance Gunderson, John
Holland, and many others that extended ecological economics to broader systems
analysis, focusing on understanding interactions among human and natural sys-
tems (e.g., Holland 1995; Gunderson and Holling 2002). These modern examina-
tions of transformation, adaptation, and resilience (Berkes and Folke 1998; Folke
2006) provide fertile frameworks for examining the human dimensions of ecological
restoration.
Education
Educational efforts in ecological restoration have occurred at three levels: K-12, col-
lege-level programs, and programs/rituals for the general public. In the realm of K-12
