Journal article
Predicting and assessing progress in the restoration of ecosystems
Conservation Letters, Vol.11(2)
2017
Abstract
Restoration of degraded landscapes has become necessary to reverse the pervasive threats from human exploitation. Restoration requires first the monitoring of progress toward any chosen goals to determine their resilience and persistence, and second to conduct in a comparable adjacent area but with less human impact the restoration of trophic structures and ecosystem processes to act as reference systems (controls) with which we compare the viability of the chosen goal. We present here the rationale and a method for predicting the trajectory of restoration and assessing its progress toward a predetermined state, the endpoint, using a restoration index. This assessment of restoration requires that we know when a predetermined endpoint has been achieved and whether the envisioned community of species and their interactions can be restored. The restoration index can use species’ presence or density, and the rate of change of ecosystem processes. The index applies to trophic levels, functional groups, successional stages, alternative states, and novel ecosystems. Also, our method allows measurement of the resilience of ecosystems to disturbance, a desired property for conservation and management. We provide global examples to illustrate these points.
Details
- Title
- Predicting and assessing progress in the restoration of ecosystems
- Authors/Creators
- A.R.E. Sinclair (Author/Creator) - University of British ColumbiaR.P. Pech (Author/Creator) - Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchJ.M. Fryxell (Author/Creator) - University of GuelphK. McCann (Author/Creator) - University of GuelphA.E. Byrom (Author/Creator) - Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchC.J. Savory (Author/Creator) - Netherham Station Road, West Linton Peeblesshire EH46 7EL ScotlandJ. Brashares (Author/Creator) - University of California, BerkeleyA.D. Arthur (Author/Creator) - Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource EconomicsP.C. Catling (Author/Creator) - ACTM.D. Triska (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaM.D. Craig (Author/Creator) - The University of Western AustraliaT.J.E. Sinclair (Author/Creator) - Tonkin & Taylor Ltd. Consulting Engineers Auckland New ZealandJ. R. McLaren (Author/Creator) - The University of Texas at El PasoR. Turkington (Author/Creator) - University of British ColumbiaR.L. Beyers (Author/Creator) - University of British ColumbiaW.L. Harrower (Author/Creator) - University of British Columbia
- Publication Details
- Conservation Letters, Vol.11(2)
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc
- Identifiers
- 991005543279807891
- Copyright
- © 2017 The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.274 Wildlife Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Biodiversity Conservation
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology