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22 - Restoration ecology and landscape ecology

from PART V - Applications of landscape ecology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2009

By
Richard J. Hobbs
Edited by
John A. Wiens  and
Michael R. Moss
Richard J. Hobbs
Affiliation:
School of Environmental Science Murdoch University Australia
John A. Wiens
Affiliation:
The Nature Conservancy, Washington DC
Michael R. Moss
Affiliation:
University of Guelph, Ontario
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Summary

The recent history of the world has been one of a dramatic increase in the incidence of human-induced disturbances as humans utilize an increasing proportion of the earth's surface in some way or another and appropriate an increasing amount of the earth's productive capacity and natural resources (Vitousek et al., 1997). Human modification has led in many cases to increasing degradation of ecosystem components, resulting in a decline in the value of the ecosystem, either for production or for conservation purposes. This has been met with an increasing recognition that measures need to be taken to halt or reverse this degradation, and hence the importance of restoration or repair of damaged ecosystems is increasing (Dobson et al., 1997; Hobbs, 1999).

Restoration ecology is the science behind attempts to repair damaged ecosystems. Here I provide a brief outline of recent developments in the field of restoration ecology, and highlight where I think a strong synergy exists between restoration ecology and landscape ecology. The material presented in this chapter is based in part on Hobbs and Norton (1996), Hobbs (1999), and McIntyre and Hobbs (1999, 2000)

What is restoration ecology?

The term “ecological restoration” covers a wide range of activities involved with the repair of damaged or degraded ecosystems. An array of terms has been used to describe these activities including restoration, rehabilitation, reclamation, reconstruction, and reallocation.

Type
Chapter
Information
Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology , pp. 217 - 229
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

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References

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