Ecological Restoration
What is Adaptive Management?
- Changing your management plan for a specific area
What must be considered when understanding ecosystem attributes?
- Composition - Structure - Functions -food chains, energy flow - Heterogeneity
What were the Restoration Options?
-Mineral Soil scarification 15cm or none (digging up soil) -Mulch mat added (stabilizes, holds organics) -Vegetate (seeding, transplant)
What can we Restore to?
-Restore to former conditions -Restore to a Reference Ecosystem -Restore to a Desired Future Condition
What did Higgs (1997) suggest?
-that focus should be "ecological fidelity", which comprises 3 elements: - Structural/compositional replication - Functional success - Durability
What is a Reference Ecosystem?
• Use nearby, intact ecosystems as a model for reference • The success of restoration efforts can be compared to reference system • Take into account any differences in function between reference system and degraded/restored system
What constitutes Restoring to a desired future condition?
• Where it is impossible or extremely expensive to restore to past or reference... • Repairs damage to ecosystem function and services • Does not necessarily restore same composition and structure • Can create novel ecosystems and accommodate chronic ecosystem constraints
What is the Goal of Ecological Restoration?
The aim of ecological restoration is to fully restore the components and processes of a damaged site or ecosystem to a previous historical state, to a contemporary standard, or towards a desired future condition (Gayton 2001). • Management for Ecological Integrity Restoring the ecosystem service that is provided
What is the definition of Ecological Restoration?
• ''the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed'' (SER 2002) SER (Society for Ecological Restoration Science and Policy Working Group).
What were conclusions drawn from the project?
• ...7 Years Later • All treatments increased plant density EXCEPT mulch • Seeding increased plant density 5-fold • Scarification and soil amendments increased plant density 3-fold • Compost and inoculated organic matter plots have twice the mineralizable N of the control plots - leading to larger shoot and root biomass
What was the Design and Methods?
• 12 treatment plots (1.5 m x 1.5 m) on each site + control plot • Soil Scarified • Mulch mat applied to half • Seed/plants applied to half • "Soil amendments" applied - Organic matter - Organic matter + compost
What were some site details?
• Elevation of 2,215-2,300 m • Adjacent to lakes • Accessible only on foot or horseback • Subalpine fir, Lodgepole pine, and Whitebark pine • Soils: shallow, sandy, acidic and derived from granitic substrates • Snowfall at these elevations is heavy • Summers are typically hot
What are constraints to Restoration?
• Public pressure - stakeholder interests • Expense/budget - Abiotic limitations - Biotic interactions
What are the 4 main steps of a restoration project?
• Removal of degrading agents including contaminants • Stabilization • Colonization • Monitoring:
What is the Fine Filter Approach?
• Restoration at a species or habitat level • Restore each piece in an ecosystem to bring the ecosystem back to health
What is the Coarse Filter Approach?
• Restore ecosystem as a whole (trickle down effect) • Restore affected process and the rest of the ecosystem will follow Eg. -Re-introduce natural disturbances (Fires) -restoring un-regulating flooding from damed of dyked area -Restoring the former hydrologic regime -Increase grassland areas
What was the problem of the High Elevation Campsite Restoration?
• These campsites have been highly disturbed for more than 50 years • Lost most of their vegetation and organic soil horizons • Mineral soils are highly compacted and have reduced microbial activity
What were the project Objectives?
• To test the effectiveness of seeding • To improve soil characteristics • To improve microclimate conditions
What did Rapport et al. (1998) suggest we must consider?
- System vigour (Health, ways to measure health) - System organization - Resilience
What must be considered in terms of determining a future desired condition?
- Understanding of succession -How does the desired ecosystem evolve and change? - Natural variability -how ecosystems vary - Natural disturbance
What is Bioremediation?
-Bioremediation is the use of microbes to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. Microbes are very small organisms, such as bacteria, that live naturally in the environment.