Restoration Ecology: Principles

John Cairns, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

Published online: September 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020468

The U.S. National Research Council (1992, p. 18) defines ‘restoration’ as

the return of an ecosystem to a close approximation of its condition prior to disturbance . Both the structure and the functions of the ecosystem are recreated. Merely recreating the form without the functions, or the functions in an artificial configuration bearing little resemblance to a natural resource, does not constitute restoration. The goal is to emulate a natural, functioning, self-regulating system that is integrated with the ecological landscape in which it occurs.

Keywords: ecological restoration; restoration ecology; natural resource repair; assessing restoration success; restoration checklist

 Further Reading
    book Aronson J and van Andel J (eds) (2005) Restoration Ecology: The New Frontier. UK: Oxford.
    book Bradshaw AD (1988) "Alternative endpoints for reclamation". In: Cairns J Jr (ed.) Rehabilitating Damaged Ecosystems, vol. 2, pp. 69–85. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
    Cairns J Jr (2006) Ecological restoration in an era of ecological disequilibrium. Asian Journal of Experimental Sciences 20(1): 1–6.
    Cairns J Jr (2007) The role of constructed ecosystems in an era of rapid climate change. Asian Journal of Experimental Sciences 21(1): 1–12.
    book Falk DA, Palmer MA and Zedler JB (2006) Foundations of Restoration Ecology: The Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration. Washington DC: Island Press.
    book National Research Council (1992) Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems: Science, Technology, and Public Policy. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
    book Perrow MR and Davy AJ (ed.) (2006) Handbook of Ecological Restoration. Vol. 1. Principles of Restoration. UK: Cambridge University Press.
    book Temperton VM, Hobbs RJ, Nuttle T and Halle S (eds) (2004) Assembly Rules and Restoration Ecology: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice. Washington DC: Island Press.
    Wackernagel M, Schutz NB, Deumling D et al. (2002) Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy. National Academy of Sciences 99(14): 9266–9271.

Related Sub-Topics:

Restoration Ecology | Conservation and Management | Ecological Methods
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Article Title: Restoration Ecology: Principles
 
How to Cite close
Cairns, John(Sep 2007) Restoration Ecology: Principles. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020468]