- "Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interruption and action." - "Ecological restoration can reverse biodiversity loss, combat climate change and support local and global economies."
The study of the methods and practices used to restore degraded or damaged ecosystems to their natural or pre-human state.
Ecosystem structure and function: Understanding the ecological and biological processes that occur within a given ecosystem and how they contribute to its health and stability.
Succession: The process of how ecosystems change over time, including natural and human-induced disturbances, such as fire or land use change.
Ecological niches: The specific roles and functions of different species within an ecosystem, including their interactions with other species and their impacts on the environment.
Biodiversity: The variety of plant and animal species that exist in a given ecosystem and the importance of preserving and maintaining this diversity for ecological resilience and sustainability.
Habitat restoration: The process of returning degraded or damaged habitats to their natural or pre-disturbance condition through plant and animal reintroduction, hydrologic restoration, erosion control, or other means.
Invasive species management: The strategies and techniques used to control or eradicate non-native plant and animal species that can negatively impact native ecosystems.
Wildlife conservation: The management and protection of native wildlife species and their habitats, including population monitoring, habitat restoration or creation, and public education.
Watershed management: The management of water resources and their associated habitat and ecosystem components, including stream and river restoration, wetland creation, and water quality monitoring.
Environmental policy and laws: The laws and regulations that govern environmental conservation and restoration practices, including federal and state laws, endangered species acts, and other forms of government policy and regulation.
Community engagement and education: The role of local communities and stakeholders in ecological restoration and conservation efforts, including outreach, public education, and engagement with local leaders and decision-makers.
Revegetation: Revegetation is an ecological restoration approach that focuses on establishing plant cover on land that has been disturbed or degraded by human activity.
Regeneration: Regeneration is the process of restoring degraded or depleted ecosystems by allowing natural processes to resume. This approach often involves removing barriers to recovery, such as invasive species or excessive human interference.
Habitat restoration: Habitat restoration is the process of creating or restoring habitat for endangered or threatened species. This may involve creating new habitat or restoring degraded or destroyed habitat.
Watershed restoration: Watershed restoration is focused on restoring the natural functioning of streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. This type of restoration often involves preventing erosion, reducing sedimentation, and improving water quality.
Reintroduction: Reintroduction involves reintroducing species to their former range or introducing them to new locations where they have never existed. This may involve captive breeding, genetic management, and other techniques to ensure successful reintroduction.
Reforestation: Reforestation involves planting trees in areas where forests have been lost or degraded. This type of restoration can help mitigate climate change by reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide and providing other ecological benefits.
Wetland restoration: Wetland restoration involves restoring degraded or destroyed wetlands, which are important ecological habitats and provide important ecosystem services. This may involve removing invasive species, restoring water flow, and creating new wetland habitat.
Coral reef restoration: Coral reef restoration is focused on restoring damaged or degraded coral reefs, which are important marine ecosystems. This may involve artificial reef construction, coral transplantation, and other techniques to promote coral growth and recovery.
Grassland restoration: Grassland restoration involves restoring degraded or destroyed grasslands, which are important habitats for many species and provide ecosystem benefits such as carbon sequestration and soil stabilization.
Urban restoration: Urban restoration involves restoring urban or suburban areas that have been degraded by human activity, such as polluted waterways, contaminated sites, or degraded parks and other green spaces. This may involve community-based restoration projects and other approaches to engage local communities in restoration efforts.
- "Natural ecosystems provide ecosystem services in the form of resources such as food, fuel, and timber; the purification of air and water; the detoxification and decomposition of wastes; the regulation of climate; the regeneration of soil fertility; and the pollination of crops." - "These ecosystem processes have been estimated to be worth trillions of dollars annually."
- "There is consensus in the scientific community that the current environmental degradation and destruction of many of Earth's biota are taking place on a 'catastrophically short timescale'." - "Scientists estimate that the current species extinction rate, or the rate of the Holocene extinction, is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the normal, background rate."
- "Habitat loss is the leading cause of both species extinctions and ecosystem service decline."
- "Two methods have been identified to slow the rate of species extinction and ecosystem service decline, they are the conservation of currently viable habitat and the restoration of degraded habitat."
- "In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021–2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration."
- "Effective restoration requires an explicit goal or policy, preferably an unambiguous one that is articulated, accepted, and codified."
- "Restoration goals reflect societal choices from among competing policy priorities, but extracting such goals is typically contentious and politically challenging."