Ecosystem Restoration: A Manager's Perspective

Abstract

Elements of ecological restoration underlie much of what we think of as ecosystem management, and restoration projects on federal lands represent some of the most exciting, challenging, and convincing demonstrations of applied ecosystem management. The Society for Ecological Restoration defined restoration as "the process of reestablishing to the extent possible the structure, function and integrity of indigenous ecosystems and the sustaining habitats that they provide" (Clewell and Covington 1995). Most managers have limited interest in distinctions between restoration and rehabilitation, reclamation, maintenance, or prevention of degradation. Managers focus on problem-solving where current conditions limit ecosystem functions, treating restoration as a broad array of possible actions, which include rehabilitation and reclamation. As a result, a variety of reference conditions is used to define the direction restoration efforts take.

Citation

Kenna, James G.; Robinson, Gilpin R., Jr.; Pell, Bill; Thompson, Michael A.; McNeel, Joe. 1999. Ecosystem Restoration: A Manager''s Perspective. In: Ecological stewardship : a common reference for ecosystem management. 3 v. (xx, 283 p., xxviii, 741 p., xxviii, 761 p.). 1999