Ecological Attributes of Restored Ecosystems
In this chapter we identify and describe eleven ecological attributes that characterize ecosystems as being successfully restored. The reappearance of these attributes signifies that ecological recovery as described in chapter 4 has occurred satisfactoril
- PDF / 1,952,482 Bytes
- 24 Pages / 504 x 720 pts Page_size
- 50 Downloads / 337 Views
Ecological Attributes of Restored Ecosystems
In this chapter we identify and describe eleven ecological attributes that characterize ecosystems as being successfully restored. The reappearance of these attributes signifies that ecological recovery as described in chapter 4 has occurred satisfactorily. The first four are directly attainable attributes that manifest in response to biophysical interventions conducted by practitioners at restoration project sites. These attributes include an appropriate species composition as determined by the reference model, initial development of community structure, an abiotic environment that supports the biota, and a landscape context that facilitates normal flows and exchanges organisms and materials with surrounding areas and that lacks threats to the restored ecosystem. The other seven ecological attributes are indirectly attainable, meaning that they appear or emerge on account of interactions of organisms with each other and their abiotic environment and not because of manipulations conducted by practitioners at a project site. These indirect attributes are presumably realized if interventions by practitioners were performed satisfactorily for the attainment of direct attributes. Indirect attributes include the reestablishment of ecological functionality in terms of ecological processes, the reestablishment of historic continuity, development of ecological complexity and the capacities for self-organization, resilience, self-sustainability, and biosphere support. Unlike the four direct attributes, the indirect attributes are not readily measured and documented. In most ecological restoration projects, some of these attributes can only be partially satisfied, if at all, for unavoidable technical and pragmatic reasons. The important point is that everyone involved in a restoration project seriously explores all available avenues for their fulfillment before the quest for any of them is abandoned.
A.F. Clewell and J. Aronson, Ecological Restoration: Principles, Values, and Structure of an Emerging Profession, The Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration, DOI 10.5822/978-1-59726-323-8_5, © 2013 Andre F. Clewell and James Aronson
89
90
ecological restoration: principles, values, and structure of an emerging profession
Any ecosystem, whether or not it has ever been restored, can be said to exist in a state or condition of wholeness if it possesses these eleven attributes. The term holistic ecological restoration, as used by Clewell and Aronson (2007), refers to restoration work that is intended to return an impaired ecosystem to wholeness in regard to these eleven attributes, as informed by a well prepared reference model. Aronson et al. (1993a) initially advocated the restoration of ecological attributes. Clewell (2000a) prepared a more generalized list of attributes, which were later condensed and published in the SER Primer (SER 2004, 3–4). In this chapter, we combine some attributes from the SER Primer, add some others, and refine some descriptions (table 5.1). Th
Data Loading...
