©Danilo Lima, Agripalm Ambiental
The RRC database contains a wide variety of resources and publications related to ecological restoration, and we are actively working to expand this collection. It is our aim to serve as the principal clearinghouse for information and tools to support the work of researchers, practitioners, land managers, educators, students, and anyone else interested in restoration. Use the filter tool below to search the database by title, author, resource type, keyword, or any combination of these factors.
Although SER does review all entries in the database for relevance and quality, these resources have not been rigorously reviewed or extensively vetted in every case, and SER therefore makes no claim as to their accuracy or accordance with generally accepted principles in the field. The database is provided as a resource for visitors to the SER website, and it is ultimately left to the individual user to make their own determinations about the quality and veracity of a given publication or resource.
If there is a resource we missed, please let us know! We are interested in current books, articles, technical documents, videos, and other resources that are directly relevant to ecological restoration science, practice or policy, as well as resources treating the social, cultural and economic dimensions of restoration.
Ecological Engineering in a Marine Port for Fish Nursery Restoration
Abstract:In intact marine coastal ecosystems, natural mortality rate of juvenile fish is about 90%, but without suitable habitats, the mortality can reach 100%. Unfortunately, shoreline infrastructures (harbors) are increasingly prevalent, directly affecting the Essential Fish Habitats of juvenile. Mitigating these impacts is crucial to restore the connectivity and life cycle of aquatic populations. Ports are often perceived as nature-depleted zones with few opportunities for life to develop due to habitat homogenization. However, their ecological functions can be enhanced thanks to complex artificial habitat like the Biohut®. By providing simultaneously food and shelter to the young fish and crustaceans, this micro-habitat enables them to survive and grow during this critical life-stage. The talk will highlight the fact that Biohut present an extraordinary marine biodiversity comparable to natural zone or even more important for some crucial specie (eg: groupers.). Artificial habitats can maximize ecological functions in the short term, when natural zone optimizes them in the long term.
Those results are based on six recent scientific publication. The talk will then try to explain the main reasons why Biohut are so successful. Indeed, some soon-published results on bioacoustics monitoring are highlighting one of the possible reasons as the food web within the oyster shells essential inner substrate of the Biohut is probably the second major reason.
To conclude, Biohut® (bio) mimic the major ecological functions of a fish costal nursery. They are now used as a remediation tool in 28 harbors in France and start to be exported and also begin to be used in the freshwater ecosystems.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Ecosystem functioning recovery after restoration of seagrass Posidonia oceanica
Abstract:Seagrass Posidonia oceanica meadows are declining throughout the Mediterranean coasts. This slow-growing, engineering species creates habitat for at least 700 identified taxons and provides for invaluable services such as carbon sink or coastal protection. The restoration techniques of P. oceanica are incipient and most of published experiences describe small-scale trials that test plant survivorship after replantation under different experimental conditions. This is the first medium scale (i.e. 12800 fragments of rhizome of adult P. oceanica planted in a 2Ha surface) transplantation experience. We joined previous published evidences to maximize plant survivorship and, for the first time in this ecosystem, we designed a monitoring program to evaluate not only plant survivorship but also ecosystem functioning recovery. Transplant survival rate is evaluated yearly. A quarter of the transplants were morphologically characterized before transplantation and their vegetative development over time is followed in situ yearly. Additionally, some transplanted fragments are sacrificed yearly to assess root development and nutrient content changes since planting. Epifauna community associated to transplanted area is followed yearly since 2018 and compared with the community in the nearby natural (control) meadow and the non-replanted area. After 18-30 months fragments survival rate was between 97-99%. There were not morphological differences between initial and sacrificed fragments nor in the associated epifauna community among non-transplanted and transplanted area. A reduction in rhizome nitrogen content occurs in transplants. These results are hopeful but also indicate that transplantation is in an early stage and does not provide a significant change in ecosystem services (habitat provision) yet.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Effects of restoration on ecosystem functioning: a case of a fucoid forest
Abstract:Canopy-forming brown macroalgae, such as kelps and fucoids, are considered the “trees” of the oceans. They play a central role in primary production and provide habitat structure, food and shelter for many other species. However, they are in decline in many places around the globe and, in consequence, restoration initiatives are becoming a major focus of their conservation and management. Despite the efforts, marine restoration science is still facing several challenges: recovery outcome is usually assessed only considering the target species, most results are based on short-term periods (one year on average), and it is often assumed that once the main species are reintroduced, they will lead to the return of the ecosystem processes and functions. However, recent studies have stressed the need of including estimations of biodiversity and ecosystem functions to properly evaluate restoration success. In this sense, trait-based ecology facilitates the analysis of the relationship between community assembly and ecosystem functioning.
Here, taking advantage of a midterm (10 years) restored population of the fucoid Gongolaria barbata, we studied the change in community functional components by comparing restored, non-restored and reference communities. A major finding is that the functional diversity recovers in restored sites, becoming equivalent to reference habitats. Restored and reference communities are characterized by harboring high variability of species functional traits whereas the non-restored area was more homogenous in terms of functional entities. These results suggest that the restoration of the canopy-forming macroalgae is the first step to achieve the recovery of the overall ecosystem functions.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Insights on the effects of extreme temperature and radiation on canopy-forming macroalgae, implications for conservation
Abstract:Fucalean brown algae are dominant canopy-forming species that create extensive, dense, and highly productive ecosystems in the subtidal rocky shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Regrettably, these assemblages are suffering an intense regression in many Mediterranean regions attributed to pollution, habitat destruction, overgrazing by sea urchins, and recently, to ocean warming. Analyze the impacts of climate change on fucoid species will be crucial for future conservation plans. In this study, we investigate the effects of extreme temperature and radiation conditions, expected in the context of global warming, on different species of the order Fucales. We compare specific responses of Ericaria crinita an species that inhabits sheltered and low wave-exposed rocky shores with E. mediterranea that inhabits exposed or moderately exposed zones. We performed laboratory experiments to study the effects of temperature and radiation on germlings and adults of both species. We conducted six different treatments combining three temperatures (21º, 24º, and 28ºC) with two radiations (PAR
and PAR+UV). The number of released zygotes, survival, and growth were measured in germlings. Changes in biomass and photosynthetic yield were measured in adults. Our results show that the response against temperature and radiation is species-specific. While adults of E. mediterranea are more affected than E. crinita at 28ºC, germlings of E. mediterranea show higher survival and growth than E. crinita germlings, which are highly affected by extreme temperatures and UV radiation. We can conclude that areas with low hydrodynamic conditions inhabited by E. crinita are more vulnerable to the future warming scenario.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Is it possible to restore algal forest on large areas? The French experience
Abstract:The restoration of algal marine forests has been developing for about thirty years. In the Mediterranean, this work has only focused on Fucales of the genus Ericaria and Gongolaria (synomym Cystoseira). In France, three large-scale restoration projects have been carried out on Ericaria amentacea to re-vegetate areas where the species had disappeared and where the supposed disturbances had ceased. We used 3 different approaches, one of transplantation thousands of whole individuals partially protected against herbivores, one of simply using hundred of fertile branches and a last one using with fertile branches with an eco-design of the adapted receiving dike. The results show that whatever the approach there was recruitment and new individuals developed. However, the speed of colonization is very slow, a few individuals per year and these young recruits are subjected to significant predation by the herbivorous fish Sarpa salpa. In the absence of herbivore management, one can reasonably wonder whether the restoration of marine forests makes sense in the Mediterranean if
predation by herbivores is not controlled. On marine infrastructures, new eco-designed housing techniques could provide a solution to this problem.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Macroalgal restoration to reverse degraded rocky-shallow habitats: the case of Gongolaria elegans forestation
Abstract:Macroalgal beds dominate the shallow benthic Mediterranean habitats where they play a pivotal ecological role. Among them, the canopy-forming Cystoseira sensu lato species represent the highest structural complexity level and provide unique habitats with ecological services comparable to terrestrial forests. Canopy-forming algae are in decline in many coastal areas where, among other impacts, overgrazing by herbivorous can lead to the loss of these diverse habitats shifting towards degraded barren grounds. Once established, low productive barren grounds are considered stable states maintained by several positive feedback mechanisms that prevent the recovery of marine forests. To revert this global decline, local ecosystem conservation tools such as the No-take zones (NTZs) and active restoration strategies are widely proposed to speed up the recovery of impacted ecosystems. Here, we tested the success of forestation techniques to promote functional and productive Cystoseira s.l. forests in degraded sea urchin barren grounds by combining different restoration strategies (active, passive, and combined actives with passive strategies) inside and outside the Mediterranean NTZ of the Medes Islands. Forestation success was assessed in 6 barren grounds (3 inside and 3 outside the NTZ) one year after the following three-step protocol: 1) sea urchin population eradication, 2) seeding with Gongolaria elegans, and 3) enhancement of G. elegans recruitment. Successful forestation was achieved after combining active with passive restoration strategies, which improved the associated benthic community and the cover of G. elegans. Our results encourage forestation of barren grounds to shift from less productive habitats to complex macroalgal forests, highlights the effectiveness of combine active with passive restoration strategies and the important role of marine reserves.
Resource Type:Conference PresentationPublication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Marine ecosystem restoration: new knowledge and future challenges
Abstract:We are in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, we aim at “prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide”. This is particularly urgent for marine ecosystems, which are subjected to unprecedent levels of human impact. Restoration has been a key action in the Aichi Biodiversity Target and in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” by addressing target 14.2 to “by 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration, to achieve healthy and productive oceans”. Ecosystem restoration in marine ecosystems has taken its first steps in the last years in EU projects as MERCES and AFRIMED, gaining new scientific knowledge for several marine ecosystems, as seagrass, macroalgal forests, coral forests, stony corals and deep-sea. Today, new scientific results, technologies and protocols are available, but a concerted effort is required to scale up the effort on a wide geographical area and at basins scale, across different marine ecosystems, from the coastal vegetated habitats to the dark deep ocean, also to face global climate change. There is the need for integrated environmental management actions for the preservation and restoration of habitats and key species based on the best scientific knowledge. Marine ecosystem restoration can stimulate and enhance social awareness about the need of marine restoration measures, promoting and putting in place economically and ecologically sustainable restoration actions.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Marine restoration narratives, drivers of change and governance constraints in 3 cases from Europe
Abstract:Drivers of change challenge existing marine conservation narratives (having emphasis on closures and MPAs) by building on the possibilities of assisted recovery through active restoration actions for example by transplanting or by increasing connectivity corridors. New restoration opportunities can be created to assist or speed up the recovery of nature. Besides ecological insights, understanding legal and governance constraints is of critical importance. With renewed and more ambitious restoration targets and a more involved society, new governance arrangements emerge. Making use of different marine restoration narratives, coalitions of public and private actors conceptualize problems in different ways, and by that, they try to influence the design of activities and the rules of the game. This article discusses three cases: the restoration of two keystone natural sedimentary and hard biogenic habitats in the Mediterranean hosting the fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) and the red coral (Corallium rubrum), and artificial habitats concerning the Rigs-to-Reefs debate, in the context of North Sea oil and gas decommissioning. The analysis shows how discourses shape the arrangements that currently govern the protection and management of two emblematic and endangered species in the Mediterranean (one of which is still harvested and the other one while being protected is now at the brink of extinction) and the decommissioning of obsolete oil and gas structures in the North Sea. For each case, we analyze the constraining conditions of the “active restoration” narratives, also providing recommendations on how to strengthen the restoration element in policies and legislation.
Resource Type:SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Present patterns and future trends of Mediterranean forests. What do we know about their conservation status?
Abstract:Marine ecosystems are changing globally under the influence of human pressures and climate change. In the Mediterranean Sea, these threats are affecting canopy-forming fucacean algae including the genera Cystoseira, Gongolaria and Ericaria, which are ecosystem-engineers hosting high biodiversity and providing valuable ecosystem services. In the last decades, a steep decline in their abundance has been reported, mainly linked to habitat destruction, pollution, overgrazing, and climate change.
Although much research on the topic has been conducted, a specific literature overview of the issue at the basin scale to prioritize conservation actions is lacking. Through scientific literature review, exploitation of unpublished data, and expert judgement, we aim to provide a refined picture of the ecological status and stressors affecting macroalgae forests populations at the Mediterranean Sea scale. There was an uneven distribution of available information on Fucales among ecoregions, as well as on the main stressors actually driving populations decline. The ecological status of Cystoseira forests is poor in most regions, and fewer data are available in the southern Mediterranean Sea. Data from the Eastern Mediterranean show that climate change and herbivores are the major concern factors, whereas in the Western and Central Mediterranean canopy forming fucalean populations have
been historically threatened by overgrazing, eutrophication and habitat destruction. The compilation of this information represents a baseline of the current knowledge of fucalean forests that is of great interest to ensure the viability of Cystoseira forests by providing assertive actions based on the ecological traits threats of each region.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Rapid and economically viable coral reef restoration at ecologically relevant scales
Abstract:In response to the increasing pressure on coral reefs and impacts this had on its regional workforce, Mars embarked on a research and development project spanning 10 years to develop a cost-effective low-tech solution to restore the vast coral rubble beds that characterize many Indo-Pacific reefs. The key outcome was the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System (MARRS). Utilizing locally sourced materials, MARRS involves several steps grouped into local construction and deployment. These steps are completed by different groups of trained individuals from the local community. A dedicated team of reef builders install Reef Stars as a web-like structure rapidly covering an area over 1000 m2 in 3-5 days. Importantly each step of MARRS has been dissected and efficiencies made resulting in the very rapid deployment capability we report. Over 25,000 Reef Stars and 375,000 coral fragments have been deployed around the islands of Badi and Bontosua within the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia. Coral cover has increased from <10% to >60% in under 3 years and fish biomass has more than doubled. Within this presentation we will report our latest findings and we will show evidence of how the MARRS system kick-starts natural ecological processes of recruitment and succession. Finally we will describe our approach to scale-up achieved through our train-the-trainer program which has led to the technique being deployed across multiple sites in Indonesia as well as the MesoAmerican reef system, The Great Barrier Reef and the Maldives involving different partners from government agencies, NGOs and critical industries.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Restoration actions under Covid-19 pandemia: possible positive effects on the success
Abstract:In the Mediterranean Sea, the algal forests composed by fucalean brown seaweeds of Cystoseira, Erikaria, and Gongolaria form one of the most complex, productive and vulnerable shallow-water habitats. These forests are rapidly regressing with negative impact on the associated biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In this study we carried out a pilot restoration action of Gongolaria barbata (former Cystoseria barbata) along the Monte Conero coast (Western-Central Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea), under different conditions of human impact (i.e., presence of a harbour, hurbanization and tourism) and natural characteristics (i.e., different levels of exposure). To perform the experiment, we took advantage of the lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, which possibly contribute to the healthy-donor population of G. barbata to grow in a large rock-pool near Ancona town and to efficiently recruit with lower human pressures during the spring months. The new recruits were found also on many small boulders, which were used for transplanting in the selected sites. The experiment is still ongoing and the first results confirms that this approach is feasible (thus allowing to avoid any laboratory cultures). We observed different grow rate levels depending on the experimental site, with the maximum observed in the site farthest from the city, with possible positive effects also on the associated benthic fauna and possible implications in assessing restoration thresholds along gradients of human pressures.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Restoring Cold-Water Coral Gardens on the Mediterranean Continental Shelf
Abstract:Cold-water coral (CWC) gardens, dominated by the gorgonian Eunicella cavolini dwell on the continental shelf of the Cap de Creus marine area (northwestern Mediterranean Sea), providing heterogenous habitats supporting a diverse associated fauna., Life-history traits of CWC (long lifespans, slow growth and limited recruitment) make them very vulnerable to threats, mainly coming from fishing activities. Given their limited recovery capacity, interest to preserve and restore CWC ecosystem is steadily growing. To date, only few restoration actions at local scales have been carried out with these species, mainly due to technical and economic limitations driven by their depth distribution. The general aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of novel active ecological restoration techniques for CWC gardens. In a first pilot study, gorgonians recovered from bycatch of local artisanal fishers, were transplanted to artificial structures deployed at 85 m depth. The results demonstrated a high survival of the transplants. Following, field experiments and modelling approaches were combined to develop and technically validate an innovative large-scale and cost-effective restoration method. Finally, in a large-scale restoration action, 460 gorgonians were successfully reintroduced at 80-100 m depth. The results showed the establishment of a new gorgonian population, which will potentially evolve toward a comparable natural population in terms of size and spatial structure, if natural recruitment will occur. Moreover, an economic evaluation was performed, also confirming the cost efficiency of this method aimed at enhancing the recovery of impacted CWC gardens.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Shallow forests restoration in the context of global change
Abstract:Marine forests loss is a worldwide phenomenon that is particularly evident in the Mediterranean Sea. The consequent loss of ecosystem functions and services, and the lack of evidence of natural recovery highlight the need of restoration actions. It is however essential to consider the role played by external factors such as climate change and herbivores because they could compromise the outcome of future restoration actions. Here, we studied the effects of ocean warming and herbivory on the recruitment and survival of early life stages of Cystoseira compressa to assess the potential of restoring this species under ongoing global change. C. compressa branches were collected in June 2019 and the emission of gametes from mature conceptacles was stimulated to foster recruitment. The effect of temperature on recruits was assessed during a four months laboratory study where recruits were maintained at 24, 28 and 32 °C. Simultaneously, herbivory pressure was assessed during a cage exclusion in situ experiment on both juveniles recruited in vitro on artificial substrates (same technique as in the laboratory experiments) and natural recruits. Higher temperatures negatively affected the survival of C. compressa, while the grow rate was comparable in the three temperatures. Herbivores affected negatively the density of recruits after two months, while no clear benefice of recruitment enhancement was observed, likely because of the presence of neighbor reproductive adults. Our results show that global and local drivers can influence Cystoseira sensu latu recruitment and have to be taken into account in restoration actions.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Spatial prioritization for fucalean brown algae forests restoration in the Mediterranean Sea
Abstract:In the marine environment, the processes of site selection and spatial planning have received scarce attention. Yet, beyond applying the most effective restoration techniques, spatial prioritization is critical to guide marine restoration efforts at large scale.
The loss of fucalean brown algae forests across the Mediterranean Sea is largely affecting the status of coastal ecosystems with severe effects on the associated ecosystem services. Introducing spatial prioritization to identify areas conducive to the forests recovery is strategic to support more effective restoration actions.
We adopted a multi-criteria analysis, overlaying three levels of information relevant to select areas where fucalean seaweeds restoration is likely to be effective: 1) absence areas, areas where the algae were present in the past and regression areas, obtained by comparing the current and historical forests distribution; 2) suitable areas for hosting fucalean species, obtained by developing a Habitat Suitability Model; 3) biotic, abiotic and socio-economic variables to assess the feasibility of restoration activities.
Our analysis allowed the prioritization of 242 sites spread across the Mediterranean basin and classified them into 5 priority classes: very low, low, moderate, high and very high priority. Within the highest priority class, only 10 sites were indicated as the best candidates for pilot restoration actions for these brown algae forests.
Our results highlighted the large number of constraints in finding areas feasible for restoration and the high potential of introducing the spatial planning principles in marine restoration initiatives.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Stakeholder expectations from marine restoration projects, the case of AFRIMED and algal forest restoration in the Mediterranean
Abstract:The increased awareness of the importance and opportunities of restoring degraded habitat foster the interaction among scientists (providing the necessary knowledge), decision-makers and managers (looking for healthy and productive habitats in their regions/countries) and the private sector (that can provide the tools for large scale actions). In order to firmly interconnect science, management and business in the framework of the restoration of marine forests, AFRIMED is engaging with stakeholders, creating a business club and organising dedicated products and events. The development of a shared vision of the management of marine forests will help implement relevant strategies/initiatives, create “buy-in” from local communities, develop partnerships and promote the multitude of benefits it provides while preparing the ground for future investments in marine coastal restoration.
As a first action in this framework, an anonymous survey was designed aiming to identify the expectations of stakeholders, including AFRIMED partners (https://forms.gle/8QVTfMQYntCsYoGp7). Additional information collected concerned demographics, stakeholder type and specific role or expertise. Preliminary results showed a high participation of scientists, followed by consultants, NGOs and national/local government. Such contributions highlighted the importance of producing relevant knowledge on restoration techniques, by the way of experimentation in pilot projects, and supporting EU policies and initiatives in line with the global objective of the restoration of degraded habitats in Europe. Networking and sharing best practices will further increase awareness and promote restoration and sustainable use of the ocean creating an inclusive forum in the framework of the blue growth.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
The Coral Restoration Consortium: six priorities to advance the science and practice of reef restoration
Abstract:Coral-reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world’s tropical coral reefs. The need for faster, better, more scientifically-based restoration practices coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC Leadership Team met for a biennial review of international coral-reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may scalability and efficacy. We established six priorities that the CRC adopted as its foci of effort for the coming years:
1. Increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment;
2. Scale-up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival;
3. Develop guidance to ensure restoration of threatened coral species takes place within a comprehensive
population genetics management context;
4. Promote a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration;
5. Develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and
6. Support coral-reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations.
These priorities are not intended to be exhaustive nor is it implied that solving these items alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather they are topics in which the CRC believes it can make timely and significant contributions that will facilitate the growth of coral-reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The intent is for these collective actions to provide tangible local-scale impacts to off-set international declines in coral cover due to both local and global stressors including climate change. This talk will cover the specific activities that the CRC is engaged in as well as the research gaps identified under these priorities.
Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Common ground: exploring designed urban landscapes through the lens of experimental ecological restoration
Abstract:Ecological restoration, landscape architecture and urban design share a common ground in being applied to cultural landscapes that have been affected, influenced, or shaped by human involvement yet the language, knowledge and practice of these disciplines is often quite exclusive. We believe that establishing green space should essentially be seen as creating a scientific laboratory which provides a unique opportunity to explore hypothesis, refine practices and inform decision makers regardless of if it is done in a natural, peri-urban or urban setting. In his seminal book Biophilia E. O. Wilson, who was once touted as “Darwin’s natural heir” posited that “humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life” and thus he introduced the world to the Biophilia hypothesis. A hypothesis that since its launch in 1984 has influenced our perception of cultural landscapes and can in many ways help to frame future collaboration between disciplines because it has resonated in both the social and life sciences. By discussing the utility of embedded experiments and innovative monitoring used in ecological restoration to assess ecosystems, their services and human health we highlight the versatility of such approaches and suggest alternate cross disciplinary applications. In particular, we propose a framework of strategic robust experiments (e.g. hypothesis testing) and long term monitoring borrowed from ecological restoration that could be embedded early in landscape architectural projects to help assess the functionality of design features and therefore support a more salutogenic approach to human health in the urban environment.
Resource Type:Conference PresentationPublication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Experimental Place-Making: Designing for Biodiversity and Soil Health in Urban Public Landscapes.
Abstract:The living systems of public landscapes in urban environments have the potential to deliver critical public health benefits and ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, stormwater management, mitigating the urban heat island effect and microbiome rewilding, supporting the development of healthy human immune systems. All of these ecosystem services are linked to establishing diverse vegetation and implementing construction and land management practices that promote and maintain healthy soils. However, conventional urban design practices typically lead to simplistic, static public landscapes with minimal ecological function, landscapes intended to be maintained with low skills and at low costs. Landscapes designed to be ecologically functional, where plants species reproduce, modify their physical environment and provide habitat resources will, by definition, be experimental, both in terms of their constructed living systems and their cultural significance. They will look different from traditional public spaces, their physical forms, plantings and appearance will be in flux as they are managed for ecological succession and integrate volunteer vegetation dispersed from surrounding properties. These changes in design and land management practices will also result in a significantly different landscape aesthetic, changing how people interact with and experience their public landscapes. Developing robust communication frameworks to engage local communities and municipal staff in the experimental process is critical to the success of an ecologically designed public landscape. This presentation will feature case studies where urban design parameters are expanded to include pilot projects testing planting and soil remediation strategies for ecological function, public education, social engagement and improved public health outcomes.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Exploring the microbiota of green infrastructure
Abstract:Urban public health is suffering from epidemics of non-communicable diseases related to depauperate human microbiota. The Microbiome Rewilding Hypothesis states that revegetation to create rewilded urban green spaces should create exposure to nature-like microbial communities, and that these will benefit public health through co-evolutionary pathways of microbiallymediated immune training and regulation. Evidence for the mechanistic pathways of microbiota mediating human health is expanding rapidly. Meanwhile, insight into creating healthy exposures to environmental microbiota is also growing, such as designs of nature-based childcare facilities and “nature-play” programs. Despite this, there is a lack of evidence for using largescale urban habitat restoration to create beneficial, permanent microbial communities. Throughout my PhD, we investigated the effect of revegetation on microbial communities in urban green spaces, as well as the influence of varying school environments on children’s microbiomes. These investigations were done by analyzing soil, leaf-surface, and human microbiota with high-throughput marker-gene sequencing, e.g., bacterial 16S rRNA gene regions. Here, I will present our three main findings: [1] that revegetated green space soil microbiota can become more similar to remnant areas than to lawns; [2] that rare bacterial genera are important for defining soil communities in urban green spaces of three disparate cities; and [3] exposure to various indoor and outdoor environments within school grounds can influence the skin microbiota of children. Therefore, we conclude that urban revegetation can create soil microbial communities that are nature-like and influential to human microbiota. However, embedded experiments are needed to effectively merge microbiome rewilding with design principles.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Landscapes of change: communication strategies for community engagement with ecologically functional public spaces
Abstract:Public landscapes designed for enhanced ecological function will represent a significant break with the forms, textures and planting strategies of traditional parks. Public recognition and support for this shift will be crucial for the success of resilient urban landscapes that contribute to the fight against climate change. Public space designed to respond to the climate crisis can be characterized as landscapes of change. Managed succession and regenerative practices create resilient landscapes and the potential for exciting new cultural experiences, but without inclusive communication strategies, these unfamiliar experiences are often too complex and unsettling for unanimous acceptance from a broad audience. The communication around socioecological regenerative systems in public space often requires that community members, stakeholders, and maintenance teams understand the importance of the quantifiable ecological and cultural factors that contribute to the qualitative spatial, visual, and placemaking experiences. For example, the relationships among soil quality, bio-diversity, social equity and public health can be difficult concepts to understand within a bigger system. This presentation will explore an inventory of case studies and research that demonstrates a diversity of communication methods used to effectively inform community led design and decision making by interdisciplinary working teams. These methods include; visualization techniques, community engagement methods, and education addressed to a broad range of backgrounds. This research can provide valuable insight into how communication can empower communities and clarify the roles of landscape architects and scientists to advocate for ecologically resilient meaningful public space.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management: Learning landscapes, global observatory networks and open science collaboration
Abstract:The public surge of interest in regenerative agriculture invites us to stretch the definition and boundaries of landscape and ecological management to bridge ecological, social and economic function, and new forms of public science. The global urgency to address and adapt to and mitigate climate change using natural climate solutions, such as soil based carbon capture, and to improve ecosystem services such as water quality and quantity, habitat and fire mitigation also highlights the scale and scope of effort that will be required to transform landscape function at scale. Agricultural transformation calls for ambitions, and innovative participatory approaches that will require new tools, technologies that bridge disciplines and support new forms of system science translated to adaptive management from the micro-biome to the biosphere. New tools open the possibility for everyone everywhere to leverage global knowledge and also serve as research site. The rapidly changing nature of technology, also poses development challenges to navigate and adapt global knowledge to local management. I will present an overview of the Open Technology Ecosystem for Agricultural Management community to illustrate a participatory approach that applies ecological principles to technology and research and development. OpenTEAM’s membership includes national and international agricultural networks and also provides support for technology interoperability to advance site specific data driven management decisions and creates a non-rival circulatory system of ideas, information and inspiration to help democratize the code for regenerative landscape management.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Enhancement of biodiversity in intensively used agricultural sites by sowing native seed mixtures
Abstract:Against the background of the continuing biodiversity decline, the successful establishment of a diverse native vegetation in intensively used agricultural sites, such as vineyards and cereal fields, is of high importance. We tested several high-diversity mixtures of native wild plants and their effects on wild bee species richness in vineyard interrows and edges of cereal fields, four to five years after sowing. In two vineyards, mixtures with about 40 native forbs were used and compared with two vineyards sown with a low-diversity mixture (ryegrass, white clover). At the field edges, perennial wildflower strips (WFS) with seed mixtures containing 30 native forbs were implemented within agri-environmental schemes, (10 sites), comparing them to cereal fields without WFS (10 sites). Wild bees were sampled five times per year from April to August on transects (2×160-m² in the vineyards, 5×200-m² in WFS per cereal fields). Wild bee species richness was highest on sites sown with 30-40 native forbs (84 bee species on WFS, 59 bee species on biodiversity vineyards), low on sites sown with a low-diversity conventional mixture (23 bee species), and extremely low on cereal fields (11 bee species). We found that the occurrence of wild bee species was mostly affected by local site conditions, such as the number of sown and spontaneously established forbs, pollen and nectar supply, and cover of bare soil. Based on our results, recommendations for the use of diverse native seed mixtures by farmers and winegrowers were developed.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Forb Common Garden Research to Inform Seed Transfer Guidance for Restoration
Abstract:As landscape-scale disturbances increase, understanding how to restore plant communities is of critical importance. Part of incorporating native plants into restoration is understanding the level of flexibility they display when moved away from their location of origin. Some species are more flexible to novel conditions than others, and many aridland species display population-level variation in performance. Common gardens are a tool for examining variation in performance across the range of a species, and the best way to develop seed transfer guidance for restoration. While past common garden work conducted by the Great Basin Native Plant Project (USFS – Rocky Mountain Research Station and BLM – Plant Conservation and Restoration Program) has focused on dominant perennial grasses, their current work focuses on native forbs. We selected three species of forbs common across the Great Basin and known to be of interest for restoration due to their value as forage and cover resources for wildlife. To allow for population genetics work to occur alongside the common garden study, both seeds and plant tissue were collected for some species. In this talk, I will discuss the technical aspects of carrying out a large-scale common garden project and present preliminary results for the first year of plant performance. A project of this scale also requires many partners to coordinate resource acquisition, land use, and garden monitoring. The end product will be a spatially-explicit restoration tool for land managers that will inform the appropriate selection of seed for particular restoration projects, as well as multiple research publications.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Herbaceous understory regeneration from seed in ancient woodlands of temperate Europe
Abstract:European ancient woodlands are subject to land use change and herbaceous understory species can be threatened because of their poor ability to colonize isolated forest patches. The regeneration niche can determine the species assembly of a community and seed germination traits are important descriptors of it. We analysed ecological records for 208 herbaceous species regarded as indicators of ancient woodlands in Europe, collated data on seed germination traits, reviewed plant regeneration strategies, and measured internal seed morphology traits. The relationship between plant regeneration strategies and ecological requirements was explored for 57 species using ordination and classification analysis, revealing three germination strategies. Species growing in closed canopy areas tend to have morphological seed dormancy, often requiring darkness and low temperatures for germination. Their shoots emerge in early spring, thus avoiding the competition for light from canopy species. These species are separated into two groups: autumn and late winter germinators. The third strategy is defined by open-forest plants with a preference for gaps, forest edges and riparian forests. They have physiological seed dormancy, germinating in light and at warmer temperatures, with seedlings emerge in spring or summer. Seed germination traits are fundamental to determining which species are good or poor colonizers and could provide a more detailed understanding of species distribution patterns than adult plant traits. Seed dormancy type, temperature stratification and light requirements for seed germination are all important drivers of forest floor colonization patterns and should be considered when undertaking ecological recovery initiatives in temperate woodland understories.
Resource Type:Conference PresentationPublication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Propagation of Great Basin Native Annual Forbs for Restoration
Abstract:With their high reproductive capacity and disturbance-oriented life history strategies, Great Basin native annual forbs have the potential to be more successful in colonizing burned sagebrush sites than the later seral species that are commonly used in restoration. However, seed of native annual forb species is usually not commercially available, and information on how to increase seeds of these species in agricultural settings is limited to nonexistent. We present our progress in starting a small native annual forb production program and testing strategies to increase six species over four years. We found that seeds of native annual forbs can be wild-collected and propagated without irrigation. Low-tech harvest methods including vacuuming or sweeping off landscape fabric, or collecting and drying entire plants, can work for small-scale increases. For seed cleaning, a variety of sieves are key, and a seed blower can be helpful. Our results demonstrate that seed production of native annual forbs can be achieved without specialized equipment or irrigation. For most species, we were able to increase seed sufficiently so that it could be sown in larger agricultural-increase fields. We have also extended this work by testing the establishment of annual forbs in post-fire restoration projects.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Restoring native grasslands and grassy woodlands: an Australia perspective
Abstract:Australian grasslands and grassy woodlands are among the countries most threatened ecological communities. Both typically occur in arable landscapes where agricultural practice and modification have resulted in their degradation or destruction. Remnants mostly exist as small and fragmented populations, often with poor genetic health. In Australia restoring understory communities presents many challenges, among them, a small and under resourced seed supply sector, limited access to wild seed, unfavorable soil weed seed and nutrient conditions, and an historical bias towards low diversity woody restoration by funders which has resulted in a paucity of investment towards the capacity and technology required to restore species-rich understory communities in highly modified landscapes. This presentation will explore the issues faced regarding understory restoration in Australia. It will also highlight advances in knowledge and practice over recent decades that have provided compelling evidence that complex, species rich communities can be restored to arable landscapes, and that these can be functional and resilient over time. It will explore the issues of project scale, site preparation (i.e., treating high weed and nutrient loads), seed resources (i.e., seed production approaches), and seeding approaches (showing examples of restoration outcomes). Native grassy communities have been globally impacted by human influences, and practitioners in many countries seek to halt or reverse their loss through restoration. There are some differences but many commonalities between these floras in different countries and regions, and the experiences gained by Australian practitioners are likely to be of some value to those sharing similar goals across the globe.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Testing the consistency of local adaptation in seven co-occurring species for use in trait-based
Abstract:Local adaptation is common in natural populations, and trait/environment relationships can be used to select appropriate seed materials for restoration projects. Further, describing plant traits adaptive in disturbed and invaded environments can optimize seed source selection for restoration. We collected seeds from common forbs, grasses, and shrubs from 16-24 locations with similar abiotic conditions. We then planted seeds in multiple common gardens, including three highly invaded field sites and in a greenhouse setting, measuring survival in restoration scenarios and seedling characteristics in the greenhouse, including seed size, emergence timing, and root length. We asked whether similar trait/environment relationships have evolved for multiple species in the same geographic location and which potentially adaptive traits were predictive of survival. Seed provenance significantly impacted success in competitive restoration settings, and all species showed trait/environment relationships consistent with local adaptation. Both environment of origin and phenotypic traits predicted success in competitive environments, with generally greater predictability from environmental factors. Trait/environment relationships varied among species with notable commonalities: for almost all taxa, seed weight, days to emergence, and root mass were associated with the environments of origin and restoration success. Several collection locations had plants with high survival rates across taxa, suggesting that site conditions can select favorable restoration traits across the entire plant community. The results of this work provide a trait-based approach for selecting seed sources for restoration and demonstrate that some locations might contain populations of above-average performance across multiple taxa, which could be used to better select seed sources for restoration.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Count on Us. WWF Global Contribution to FLR Challenge
Abstract:WWF has been working on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) since 2000, when along with IUCN we defined “forest landscape restoration” as “a planned process that aims to regain ecological integrity and enhance human well-being in deforested or degraded landscapes”. From that moment worldwide pilots on forest landscape restoration have been implemented with partners. Since 2018, WWF has been actively looking back and collecting lessons which are seeking to share it widely through a set of publications as “lessons from the field”. As we embark on the UN Decade on ecosystem restoration as a partner we find now a strategic moment to disseminate as much as possible these lessons learned with a strategic look on how to promote adaptive management, to contribute to other projects and to promote FLR upscale aiming towards increasing the organization contribution on the achievement of the 350 million hectares of forest landscapes by 2030 globally shared goal. Stakeholders have been a core component of this learning process and the moment and a lesson learned framework has been adopted. The WWF lessons learned publication series, is now composed of a total of eight landscapes. Continuing our lessons learned series symposium from SER 2019, we are at this time bringing new cases studies from Malaysia, Mexico, New Caledonia, the Lower Danube and a Trinacional one, covering Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Lessons learnt from 12 Years Restoring the Orangutan’s Habitat: the Bukit Piton Forest…
Abstract:Situated in Malaysia, Sabah (Borneo Island), the Ulu Segama-Malua landscape covers about 240,000 ha area of lowland rainforest and sustains the largest population of critically endangered orangutans (about 3400 individuals). At the north, 12,000 ha of isolated and heavily degraded Bukit Piton Forest Reserve has marked as an important orangutan habitat, supporting about 200 orangutans. In 2007, WWF and partners began forest restoration efforts and monitor the orangutan population. The restoration project under WWF completed in 2019, whereby 2,218 ha has been planted with approximately 346,000 trees. Records of orangutan using planted trees were captured as early as 5 years after planting multiply over the years, showing positive improvement after restoration. The estimate funds were contributed in the 12-year programme amounted to over EUR 5 million, funded by private companies and WWF. Nine key lessons learnt: 1. Pressures surrounding the landscape need to be monitored closely. 2. Protection and restoration complement each other and can produce quick results for endangered species. 3. Restoring habitat for a specific species can help to focus the interventions. 4. Unexpected challenges raise the cost of restoration and increase timeframes. 5. Choosing both fast and slow growing tree species can be an effective means of reaching different objectives. 6. Laws of supply and demand affect seedling availability for some native species. 7. Long term maintenance after planting is crucial. 8. Restoration contributes to the enhancement of high conservation values. 9. Payments (funding support) by companies can support long term restoration.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program
Lessons learnt from 15 years of watershed management and forest restoration the Copalita-Zimatan-Huatulco (CZH) landsca
Abstract:The watersheds of CZH are located in the south of Mexico’s state of Oaxaca. They include 26 of the country’s 34 vegetation types, with an altitudinal range from 0 to 3,500 m. Threats to the landscape include deforestation, fire, slash and burn on steep slopes for maize cultivation, reduction in water availability, and water contamination by domestic and agricultural sources. Starting in 2004, with funding from Fundación Gonzalo Río Arronte (FGRA), WWF began work in these watersheds. Three phases can be identified. The third and current phase, also funded by corporate companies (Caudalie, AXA, and IKEA), aims to consolidate work to date and enhance restoration work for the benefit of people and nature. Over time, a continuum of restorative practices have been integrated into the communities. Seven municipalities with 29 communities are implementing activities related to sustainable water use: each year water consumption is reduced by 76,000 m3, 8,600 m3 of water are treated through biofilters, 6,200 m3 of water are re-used and 700 m3 are stored. The holistic approach for the determination of environmental flows resulted in the proposed annual allocation of 875 million m3 (62% of mean annual runoff) for ‘water for nature’. In total, reforestation covered 2,625 ha across 18 of CZH’s 20 municipalities, and 27 different tree native species were planted. These were all produced agro-ecologically. The project has reached 6,433 direct and 22,196 indirect beneficiaries improving their sustainable livelihoods. The project also favoured the emergence of sustainable rural entrepreneurship.
Resource Type:Conference Presentation, SER2021Publication Date: 2021
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program