Restoration Resource Center Resource Database Page 30

©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.

Making the most of seeds in mine site restoration

Abstract:

Seeds are a key component for the successful restoration of landscapes degraded by mining operations. The collection and production of seeds of the appropriate origin, in the quantity and diversity needed to achieve a satisfactory degree of recovery, are onerous tasks that require careful planning and a significant budget. However, once seeds are obtained, at an average cost of 750 $/kg, sub-standard storing and processing practices can drastically reduce the viability (and value) of the collections. The adoption of practices, standards, and technologies used in the agriculture seed industry and conservation seed banks can help obtain high quality seeds and maintain viability through the seed supply chain. This would improve chances of seed germinating; however, numerous impediments of post-mining restoration scenarios, such as unsuitable substrates and abiotic stresses, still limit seedling emergence and successful plant establishment. Seed coating could help overcome some of these logistical and ecological barriers. Seed coating is a technology developed in the agricultural sector that is used to modify the shape and size of the seed and deliver active ingredients that provide protection from predators and pathogens, stress resistance, enhance growth, and improve survival. A recent study showed that seed coating with salicylic acid improved the survival of three Australian grass species, during the dry summer months. Ongoing research is testing the effect of germination promoters and beneficial microbes, delivered via seed coating, in order to promote plant establishment and, ultimately, improve mine site restoration outcomes.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Using patch dynamics to inform ecological restoration of semi-arid and Mediterranean-type fields in Namaqualand, South Africa

Abstract:

Namaqualand is situated in the Succulent Karoo Biome, a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. The Kamiesberg mountain range in Namaqualand contains two vegetation systems heavily degraded by cultivation. The diverse floras are being converted into single woody species-dominated communities: Galenia africana in the lower-lying Karoo and Elytroppus rhinocerotis in Mediterranean-type mountainous Renosterveld. Traditional restoration practises often ignore the role of patch dynamics, and the principles of facilitation and succession in arid systems. We tested how best to use pioneer plants and biodegradable shelters (using boxes and brush-packs) to mimic patch dynamics for successful seedling establishment in two vegetation systems in close proximity along an aridity gradient. We conducted a factorial field experiment for three years, seeding 18-20 species from a variety of functional groups in three habitats: under pioneer plants, in areas of recently removed pioneer plants, and in open areas. The Karoo and Renosterveld gave contrasting results. Seeding under G. africana plants resulted in low numbers of establishment but excellent growth rates, whereas seeding under E. rhinocerotis was less effective. Seeding into areas of recently removed G. africana was less successful compared to seeding in open areas; and the opposite results were found with E. rhinocerotis. Succulent Aizoaceae species established successfully in the Karoo, whilst in Renosterveld, grasses and herbs established was greater. Our study showed that it is better to sow seeds into open areas with sheltering structures in the Karoo, including under G. africana. Whilst in Renosterveld, we recommend sowing seeds into the space of recently removed E. rhinocerotis.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Desert soil seed banks: A refuge for plant diversity and a resource for regeneration

Abstract:

After disturbances, regeneration from seed plays an important role in plant community recovery. Soil seed banks can lead to natural regeneration, or landscapes can be actively managed by adding seeds of desirable species. Arid systems tend to experience high environmental variability, which can lead to high levels of seed dormancy. This can result in a higher amount of species diversity within the intact soil seed bank than exists within the above-ground vegetation. When seeding is necessary, understanding seed dormancy can be critical for achieving restoration goals on short timescales (e.g. managing for temporal continuity within above-ground native plant communities). When a passive restoration approach may be desirable, it is important to understand when and where dormant seeds have accumulated in soil seed banks awaiting appropriate conditions to stimulate their germination. I will present information on species and population-level differences in seed germination characteristics for a suite of common, native Great Basin forbs in the western United States, showing the variety of dormancy strategies exhibited among species and across landscapes. Further, I will present information on seed bank variation across 17 locations within the Great Basin sagebrush (Artemisia) steppe, asking whether there are environmental or biotic predictors associated with seed diversity and abundance. Understanding when soil seed banks can help or hinder restoration and understanding the range of seed dormancy strategies that exist among species and populations can help managers decide when, where, and what to seed, or when it may be appropriate to take a passive approach to community recovery.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Assessing the potential for seed-based restoration in a highly degraded freshwater marsh

Abstract:

In highly invaded ecosystems, establishment from any restoration seeding may be limited. Evidence to support seed-based restoration in wetlands, where invasion pressure is often disproportionately high, is more limited than in terrestrial systems. Despite the importance of a priori investigations of the potential for seed-based restoration to succeed, efforts to quickly and effectively ascertain limitations to this method are not well-established. Methodology for seedbank assays and vegetation cover assessments are typically intensive efforts designed to answer research questions, rather than minimal cost approaches to guide management. Keeping effort levels minimal as directed by project managers, we characterized the potential for seed-based restoration for five management units within a degraded freshwater wetland in central Florida, USA. We assessed potential barriers to seeding success, including colonization from extant vegetation and emergence from the seed bank, to determine potential competition from undesirable species. Analysis confirmed the plant community was sufficiently characterized within the time constraints determined, and that seed-based restoration potential differs with management unit. For instance, 1) invasive species more likely challenge native seeding via emergence from the seedbank in units that have saturated, as opposed to field capacity, soil moisture; 2) invasive cover is spatially variable in some units, creating opportunities for selective invader removal, and colonization from extant desirable vegetation; and 3) suitability of seed-based revegetation varied with dominant guild of the desired vegetation type for any given unit. We characterize the unique challenges these wetlands present to seed-based restoration and suggest strategies to overcome them.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

A transdisciplinary research framework to guide actions along the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative

Abstract:

To meet the environmental and social challenges in the Sahel, the adoption of the Pan-African Great Green Wall (GGW) in 2007 was a step in the right direction. However, the success of the GGW depends on its capacity to gather, generate, integrate, and use knowledge from different sources, taking into account the complexity of socio-ecological systems (SES) along its path. Future Sahel, a French government-funded research program, brings together multidisciplinary scientists and GGW natural resource managers in Senegal, providing a unique opportunity to nudge the GGW along a positive trajectory. Herein, a research framework to guide GGW decision-making that integrates a social ecological systems perspective, multi-scale interactions, and ecosystem service delivery will be presented. To navigate towards “desirable” futures, decision makers must focus on optimizing and innovating actions for immediate implementation, while simultaneously creating a social and institutional context conducive for lasting change. In response to both short and long-term needs, two examples of Future Sahel research will be presented. The first provides data to inform immediate on-the-ground restoration strategies (tree planting vs. natural regeneration) for contrasting SES along the GGW path. The second seeks to operationalize “resilience thinking”, reflecting on both actions and the social context in which actions are implemented. Toward this end, we will share our experience in piloting the “Wayfinder, a resilience guide for navigating towards sustainable futures” (https://wayfinder.earth/), in Senegal. Finally, our GGW research-natural resource management partnership is already being scaled-out to other GGW countries in hope of fast-tracking decision-making at the continental scale.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Prioritisation of catchment areas for improved water service delivery using GIS spatial analyses: A comparison of two South African river systems, the uMngeni and Umzimvubu

Abstract:

As global demands for natural resources increases, so then do the pressures exerted on ecosystems increase. The developing ecological deficit is reaching critical levels to the point where ecosystems are unable to deliver valuable services such as fresh water to meet human demands. This is particularly the case in semi-arid countries such as South Africa, which continues to experience extreme water shortages and periods of severe drought. The uMngeni Catchment in KwaZulu-Natal and the uMzimvubu Catchment in the Eastern Cape both showcase exciting water governance partnerships in South Africa, each unique regarding catchment management and water use. The uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership is focused on integrating ecological infrastructure solutions to support built infrastructure investments to address water security challenges, while the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership Programme aims to conserve the river system through sustainable restoration and maintenance of the catchment. Both catchments are important water resources and economic hubs for South Africa, and both are suffering considerable declines in water quality and water supply, coupled with the fast-growing population. This study presents findings from GIS spatial analyses conducted for each partnership. Analyses differed in terms of information inputs but shared the objective of prioritising areas for guiding catchment management and restoration interventions to promote water-related services. Outputs are presented using sub-catchments to represent the flow of services within catchments, linked to people and ecological infrastructure. Prioritisation maps have provided a pivotal role in decision making by the respective partnerships with the ultimate goal of improving human well-being.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Improving Indonesia’s tropical peat-fire emissions monitoring as a restoration tool

Abstract:

Indonesia’s tropical peat swamp forests are vast reservoirs of below-ground carbon. Annual deforestation rates, however, range from 3-8% with degradation stemming from drainage, logging, fires, and conversion of land for agriculture, oil-palm, and paper-pulp. Indonesia’s Nationally Determined Contribution is 29-41% reduction by 2030, the latter dependent on international support. This will require reducing peatland degradation rates and restoring several million hectares of already degraded peatlands. One of the key challenges facing peatland recovery is the annual occurrence of wildfires, which upon igniting the peat, create local and international haze crises and release large volumes of GHG. On-the ground-studies for understanding peat fire behaviour and for accurately calculating peat fire emissions remain very limited. To support the Indonesian government, the UMCES-IPB NASA Peat Fire Research Project, established in 2014, developed novel field methods and is collecting nation-wide data on peat fire occurrence, behaviour, and emissions across Indonesia. Nine Indonesian institutes are trained in and applying these methods, with data being collated in a central database. Our recently published paper highlights the importance of accurate field data to support calibration and verification of remote sensing models and calculations on emissions, where assumptions have been shown to lead to large percentage errors. For Indonesia to reach its peatland restoration targets, it is essential that methods, field data, and building local capacity are prioritised to facilitate accurate fire monitoring and efficient management. This project’s goals focus on the scientific capacity building and community-engagement aspects essential in ameliorating this international crisis.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

What is the real cost of pursuing socio-ecological thinking at the catchment scale? Using the Tsitsa Project, South Africa, as an example

Abstract:

The use of socio-ecological frameworks grounded on bottom-up approaches is widely promoted by conservation practitioners and planners. Rehabilitation with the aim of restoration needs to be resilient and must ensure sustainable livelihoods. But what does restoration based on socio-ecological thinking really cost? An example of this is the Tsitsa project, an initiative spearheaded by South Africa’s Government through the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Chief Directorate of Natural Resource Management. The Tsitsa project vision is to: “Support sustainable livelihoods for local people through integrated landscape management that strives for resilient social-ecological systems and which fosters equity in access to ecosystem services.“ The key features of the upper Tsitsa River catchment in the Eastern Cape Province (with an approximate area of 5,000 km²) are high levels of landscape degradation and extremely dispersive subsoils, which generate large silt loads in the rivers. The Tsitsa project provides a holistic and integrated natural resource management plan (within the context of the Land Degradation Neutrality framework under Sustainable Development Goal 15, specifically pursuing planning to avoid degradation) at the catchment scale. The project seeks to harmonise the priorities and wishes of the local residents and to integrate the advice of scientists and engineers. The rehabilitation plan has projected a US$2 billion investment spread over the next 10-20 years. Between 2015 and 2019, the engagement, monitoring, and learning components will cost US$3.7 million, with a total projected cost of about US$6.9 million over 8 years.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Pursuing sustainable land management through community development: UNDP/DEA GEF 5 Sustainable Land Management project in South Africa

Abstract:

Arresting degradation across 1.5 million hectares of degraded land in South Africa is critical for ensuring ecosystem integrity, productivity and continued benefits to livelihoods. Through the project “Securing multiple ecosystems benefits through Sustainable Land Management (SLM),“ funded by the Global Environment Facility 5, we aim to reduce the costs of ecological restoration in South Africa and increase land productivity. An innovative approach is adopted to sustain long-term SLM solutions that foster community development. We note that project staff must go through huge efforts to build trust with communities, understand the underlying social ecological systems that characterise the landscape, and identify the reasons for system failure that lead to vulnerabilities towards SLM. Based on project implementation between 2016 and 2019, we highlight two important lessons learned towards achieving interconnectedness between SLM and community development. Firstly, the importance of buy-in. Understanding community dynamics allows us to avoid a potential disconnect between technical project staff and local community members and land users. This is key to achieve real and sustained impacts on the landscape. Secondly, the use of the “Champion Farmers Model”, where farmers participate in a peer-to-peer learning environment. This model allows us to make the most of local knowledge, which in turn is used to mobilise communities towards collective SLM action in the project’s landscape. Ensuring sustained project impact on the landscape and on people’s livelihoods is a key challenge of development agencies. This project demonstrates that interconnectedness between SLM and community development is a key and achievable pre-requisite for success.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Community-based restoration of degraded landscapes: Developing a training model for sustainable land management at Machubeni, Eastern Cape

Abstract:

Land degradation is a global environmental problem, especially in the smallholder farming sector in rural areas. Restoration is a key response strategy of Sustainable Development Goal 15, particularly under the land degradation neutrality target 15.3. By recognising that top-down restoration programmes have generally failed, we present a sustainable land management project of the Global Environment Facility 5, which implements participatory approaches to foster restoration in South Africa. The project is based on self-determination theory, under which the success or failure of restoration are understood through the soc-contextual conditions that enhance or forestall buy-in. Collaborating with local leaders and stakeholders, identifying passionate volunteers (called Land Conservation Activists (LCAs)) and exposing them to training opportunities, is a project’s imperative. Researchers, LCAs and the community are integral to the project’s approach, which entails peer-to-peer training, learning exchanges, and continuous sharing of knowledge and skills. For example, in Machubeni’s site the local community has championed the project’s restoration programme. However, a range of contradictions are revealed when working with communities. Particularly, there are trade-offs between the time spent on restoration activities and the fulfilment of basic human needs. Lessons learnt indicate that a simultaneous improvement of grazing management and rangeland restoration can only be achieved through farmers’ collaboration on grazing control. Further government and project investments in building skills and knowledge are needed to achieve win-win restoration across natural and social dimensions. Building trust with communities is a long-term process and the project is still in the initial stage of developing a common understanding.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Linking land and water conservation to community development in ecological restoration policy and projects: Lessons from South Africa

Abstract:

Gouritz Cluster Biosphere Reserve’s Jobs for Carbon Project rehabilitates degraded arid landscape by planting Spekboom where it used to occur naturally. Spekboom is an iconic plant that historically dominated large parts of the arid Klein Karoo region. Severe degradation through overgrazing and erosion over time resulted in reduced water infiltration, loss of productivity, and destruction of biodiversity. We present a case where approximately 80 hectares of an organic olive farm was used to plant 100,000 Spekboom cuttings for which the farmer signed a 50-year Memorandum of Understanding with the project. Activities included implementation of fine scale mapping of potential restoration sites and landscape carbon assessments, training of 60 local labourers, harvesting and planting of Spekboom cuttings, and excluding livestock in planting sites. We found that major impacts were generated by the project. First, the formerly poor and unemployable labourers have experienced a boost in their self-confidence, and are found to be economically empowered, proud, and skilled. This has had an exponentially positive benefit for the village and will sustain long-term benefits for their children. Secondly, Spekboom sequesters carbon into the soil, it improves water infiltration, and facilitates germination and survival of other plant species – this would otherwise be impossible in similar arid conditions. The mature Spekbooms are surrounded by other mature trees and plants in good variety, providing shelter, food, soil food, and habitat for a variety of micro-organisms, insects, birds, and animals. It is therefore expected that a restored eco-system will emerge from the barren soil.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Restoring the forests of Mulanje Mountain: Securing a future for a Critically Endangered tree and providing jobs for more than 500 people

Abstract:

Mulanje Cedar, Malawi’s national tree, naturally found only on Mount Mulanje, is now extinct in the wild as a result of uncontrolled logging. Mulanje Cedar has been a keystone species on the mountain and its cutting has resulted in devastating degradation of forests and a loss of habitat for other forest plants and animals. Destruction has also resulted in decreased resilience against heavy rains, which are now causing flash floods that have led to people’s farms and houses being washed away and, in the worst cases, people’s lives being lost. Over the past three years, ten community nurseries have been established around Mount Mulanje and a large-scale restoration programme for Mulanje Cedar has been initiated to try to pull this species back from the brink of extinction. The project has improved livelihoods of rural communities, with visible effect, by providing restoration-based employment to more than 500 people, with a focus on women for whom employment opportunities were restricted locally. The skills of botanic gardens are benefitting this project, for example by investigating optimal growing conditions and developing horticultural protocols for Mulanje Cedar, as well as designing trials to improve restoration results. This project is now expanding to identify additional opportunities for livelihood improvement based on restoration and sustainable utilisation of plant resources on Mount Mulanje. This presentation aims to encourage practitioners to adopt community involvement and botanical and horticultural knowledge as core ingredients in restoration project design.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Establishing seed collecting networks and community nurseries to ensure Uganda’s Bonn Challenge pledge brings benefits to people and biodiversity

Abstract:

The Uganda Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity Assessment, published by the Ugandan government and IUCN, states that 17% of Uganda’s land is severely degraded, 30% highly degraded, and 31% moderately degraded. This has serious implications for Uganda’s long-term development and causes the loss of 4-12% of Uganda’s GDP annually. Under The Bonn Challenge, Uganda has pledged to restore 2.5 million hectares by 2020 and aims to plant 200 million trees in priority areas to improve human well-being and ecological productivity. This represents an opportunity for biodiversity conservation and job creation. Uganda has more than 800 native tree species, 30 of which are globally threatened. However, government and commercial nurseries in Uganda focus on a small number of species, most of which are exotic. Tooro Botanical Gardens runs the largest indigenous tree nursery in Uganda and has worked in collaboration with local communities for over a decade to carry out successful forest restoration projects that bring benefits to nearby communities. Based on lessons learnt, Tooro Botanical Gardens and partners have established seed collecting networks and high diversity nurseries across Uganda that employ people in rural areas to grow a supply of high-quality indigenous seedlings for forest landscape restoration. This intervention is demonstrating that large-scale restoration targets can be met in a way that benefits people and biodiversity.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Species-diverse forest restoration in East Africa for biodiversity conservation

Abstract:

In the year 2000, an indigenous forest restoration project was initiated in the highlands of Kenya by Plants for Life international at Brackenhurst, Tigoni. The site was registered as a botanic garden in 2006. Indigenous trees were propagated and planted on land previously used exclusively for exotic species, including cypress, eucalyptus, and wattle. Twenty hectares (50 acres) have now been restored. After an initial focus on planting trees, vigorous planting of an understorey layer of herbs, ferns, orchids, and shrubs (particularly Rubiaceae and Euphorbiaceae) followed in order to increase biodiversity and enhance restoration. The restored forest incorporates more than 600 East African woody species. Several threatened species are growing well and producing viable seed. Restoration efforts are generating information about propagation techniques and growth rates of indigenous species. The site is used for training and demonstrates that a highly diverse forest can be restored in the East African highlands in a short time. In addition to actively planted species, additional plant species are coming back naturally. Bird numbers on the site have doubled since restoration efforts began, and a wide diversity of mammals, invertebrates, and reptiles have reoccupied the site. The multitude of benefits and ecosystem services generated from planting a highly diverse forest in a highland area surrounded by tea plantations will be shared in this presentation, providing a valuable model for scaling up restoration efforts across East Africa, achieving AFR100 pledges whilst delivering biodiversity conservation.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Securing a future for the world’s threatened trees through species recovery and ecological restoration programmes

Abstract:

At least 16% of the world’s 60,000 tree species are globally threatened with extinction. Ecological restoration programmes present an opportunity to conserve these species in the landscape, but many practitioners are lacking the skills and knowledge to do so. The Global Trees Campaign (GTC) is a joint initiative between Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Fauna & Flora International to secure a future for the world’s threatened tree species in situ for the benefit of people and wildlife. GTC delivers targeted conservation action for the tree species most at risk of extinction. Through the Global Tree Assessment, which will provide conservation assessments for all of the world’s tree species by the end of 2020, we are producing peer-reviewed maps for all assessed species and a conservation tracking tool for single-country endemics. These tools will be presented, enabling practitioners to identify and prioritise threatened tree species to include in restoration programmes. Case studies of restoration programmes that incorporate threatened trees will be shared as models of best practice. A portfolio of GTC projects that are restoring populations of tree species on the edge of extinction will be shared, providing guidance on delivering targeted species recovery actions. GTC cannot single-handedly secure a future for the world’s >10,000 threatened trees but mobilising the restoration community to take action will have a big impact on species conservation.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Restoring old-growth grasslands: A major problem in the aftermath of global tree-planting

Abstract:

Afforestation has been widely promoted to ‘restore’ deforested and ‘degraded’ land. For example, the Bonn challenge plans to afforest 3.5 million km² by 2030, an area half the size of Australia and greater than the entire land area of the European Union. The motivation is primarily carbon sequestration for wealthy countries and currency earnings for developing countries. Africa has been targeted for afforestation of 1.5 million km² within the next decade. More than a dozen countries have signed up to afforest their ‘degraded’ lands. Degradation, as defined by the World Resources Institute, is any process that damages trees, including wildfire and mammal browsing. Thus, by definition, Africa’s vast savannas are all ‘degraded’ and a major global target for afforestation. However African savannas include ancient ecosystems that have been maintained by fire and large herbivores for millions of years. Rather than ‘degraded’, these grassy biomes are now seen as alternative states to closed forests. Attempts to restore biodiversity in old-growth grasslands planted to conifers and then clear-felled has proven very difficult. Instead, it makes more sense to avoid planting biodiverse grasslands in the first place. As yet, markers for rapid evaluation old growth grasslands are still being developed and it is not yet possible to clearly distinguish between secondary and old growth grasslands from satellite imagery. There is an urgent need to direct tree-planting programs to truly deforested areas to avoid major disruption of the biota of open ecosystems because of ill-conceived quick-fix global afforestation plans.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Monitoring outcomes: Transitioning from local restoration projects to regional restoration of pattern and process

Abstract:

Transitioning to appropriate restoration styles (e.g., command and control to adaptive management) under conditions of decreasing controllability and/or increasing uncertainty is a key challenge for sustaining ecosystem services in a changing world. Understanding when to transition to a new restoration style requires knowledge of management outcomes and the scale(s) at which undesirable environmental changes are occurring. Our objective was to develop a framework for: (1) monitoring restoration outcomes, and (2) providing recommendations for restoration styles based on levels of controllability and uncertainty associated with the scale(s) of undesirable environmental change. We apply this framework to tree invasion management programs in grassland landscapes of Nebraska, USA, where tree invasion is managed using a command and control restoration style. We used remotely-sensed tree cover data (Rangeland Analysis Platform) to model tree cover trends from 2000-2017 (restoration outcomes) at multiple, nested scales for 21 landscapes. These results provided a systematic basis for identifying an appropriate restoration style based on the level of controllability and uncertainty associated with the scale(s) of invasion. Tree invasion outpaced restoration in 17 of 21 landscapes and was associated with low controllability and high uncertainty in all landscapes. Command and control styles emphasized pattern restoration using tree removal projects, but largely ignored preventative processes. Given the scale-specific challenges of pattern and process restoration, our framework identified scenario planning as the most appropriate restoration style for all landscapes. Our framework provides a systematic basis for understanding when to transition between restoration styles and has potential to improve broad-scale restoration outcomes.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Tracking wildfire driven regime shifts across a biome: Implications for ecosystem restoration

Abstract:

Wildfires are implicated as ecosystem-level drivers of regime shifts in vegetated biomes across the globe. Policies and programs abound to mitigate for post-wildfire vegetation responses, encouraging large-scale reseeding campaigns and mitigation of bare ground to restore recently burned areas. In an exhaustive analysis of wildfire-scale vegetation response to large wildfires across an entire grassland biome, we assess the persistence of vegetation change to detect wildfire driven regime shifts. There was no indication of large-scale persistent transitions driven by wildfire in the Great Plains. Immediate wildfire and drought induced signals of functional group response to wildfire were so recurrent within wildfire perimeters that these signals were evident at the scale of the wildfire across the biome. In contrast, a persistent change in functional group abundance indicative of a regime shift occurred for only one of the five assessed functional groups (trees) within one of 11 ecoregions assessed. Traditional perspectives of wildfire driven collapse were restricted to the 30-meter pixel level of analysis, suggesting that many of the transitions described in policies and land management frameworks are localized and represent extreme cases within larger wildfires. Rather than driving undesirable regime shifts, large wildfires may help restore grassland biomes at a large scale where fire suppression has altered fire regimes. Our results support that restoration of ecological processes like wildfire can assist rather than hinder large-scale ecosystem restoration goals.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

How ecosystem networks reveal resilience

Abstract:

Ecosystem resilience is vital for an ecosystem to function, especially in the current Anthropocene. Measuring an ecosystem’s resilience will allow understanding of how well an ecosystem is able to persist despite the plethora of natural and anthropogenic perturbations. How to accurately measure ecosystem resilience, however, is clouded by uncertainty due to its complex foundations, many definitions, and few reference points. This review aims to constrain the uncertainty by using a systems approach that Analysis (ENA) is proposed as such a systems approach, which makes use of flow networks that illustrate the diverse connections within an ecosystem. We propose a suite of existing ENA metrics that are able to characterize components of an ecosystem’s resilience. One component being the adaptive cycle, where the changes in flow diversity and magnitude as well as the extent of order or disorder in the flow organisation along this trajectory, and their relative metric changes delineate the distinctions between the different stages. For example, the metric Total Systems Throughput is valuable to delineate the stages characterized by the accumulation or conservation of energy. Metrics to characterize other components of resilient ecosystems such as persistence and adaptability are also described. This allows for an assessment of the status quo, and how the resilience of an ecosystem could be increased or decreased. Providing a comprehensive yet digestible view of ecosystem resilience to conservation authorities could contribute to improved and targeted management and restoration strategies.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Dryland degradation as a social-ecological regime shift: A Sub-Saharan case study

Abstract:

Drylands globally support over two billion people as major providers of critical ecosystem goods and services. However, drylands also represent places where the human population is growing most rapidly, biological productivity is least, and poverty highest. These ecosystems are therefore particularly fragile and vulnerable to shifting into a degraded state. This change in the structure and function of an ecosystem can be seen as a regime shift, impacting on the provisioning of vital ecosystem services as well as human wellbeing. In this study we identified the main drivers and impacts to identify leverage points to intervene in order to increase the resilience. We extracted information from the Regime Shifts Database and used Sub-Saharan Africa as a case study to identify the susceptibility of this world region to dryland degradation. Drivers related to harvesting natural resources and their consumption, vegetation conversion, and habitat fragmentation were the most common causes of regime shifts resulting in dryland degradation. Primary agricultural production and biodiversity are the most common cluster of ecosystem services affected along with provisioning ecosystem services such livestock and wild animal and plant products. This affects human wellbeing in terms of nutrition, livelihood, and economic activities. Maintaining the structure and function of the dryland system and increasing the resilience of this ecosystem relies on preemptive restoration and a better understanding of the social and ecological drivers. Using a systems-thinking approach will help us to understand these underlying patterns and prevent further dryland degradation.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Managing for surprise and uncertainty in ecosystems

Abstract:

Resilience is an emergent property of complex systems that provides systems with latitude to absorb disturbance. The term resilience has exploded in usage in recent years, and two competing definitions have risen to the forefront. In addition, an emergent property, resilience is often interpreted as the ability to bounce-back, and under this definition resilience is simply a measure of the amount of time necessary for a system to recover following disturbance. The definition used has implications for restoration. Bounce-back implies that all systems will recover, given sufficient time. However, this definition of resilience is partial, as complex systems are non-stationary and may have critical thresholds. Non-stationarity means that it is difficult, or impossible, to know what, exactly, to bounce-back to. And a critical threshold means that surpassing that threshold (exceeding the resilience of the system) will cause the system to collapse and reorganize as something possibly very different. Non-stationarity and thresholds are sources of surprise and uncertainty in restoration and ecosystem management. Managing for resilience is an approach that explicitly seeks to avoid critical thresholds. Such an approach fosters resilience of systems that are in desirable states and seeks to erode the resilience of systems in undesirable states in order to transform them to something more desirable. These approaches account for scale and cross-scale interactions and maintaining positive feedbacks. Diversity is important, but the distribution of diversity within and across scales is paramount, as is dealing with both spatial and temporal aspects of scale, ideally in tandem.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Connecting experts in biological and meteorological sciences to advance knowledge of pest management for restoration in a changing climate

Abstract:

There has been considerable progress in elucidating the physical aspects of climate change that directly impact restoration of ecological systems. However, these impact assessments rarely account for climate induced changes associated with biological pests. The lack of collaboration between the pest (insects, weeds, diseases) management and climate science disciplines could be contributing to the problem. Therefore, we assessed research-based relationships, identifying possible barriers to and gaps in successful collaboration. We developed an algorithm capable of identifying author affiliation and associated disciplines. We found that pest management and climate scientists most often authored papers in their respective disciplines (>90%), but rarely in the opposing disciplines (<1%). Atopica, an international research group, is one of the few examples of how interdisciplinary collaborations have led to the co-production of knowledge to better understand and manage a pest, common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), responding to climate change. Researcher-to-researcher relationships, such as Atopica, are an often overlooked area of science and key to better addressing major challenges, such as climate change, in restoration ecology.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Reversing biodiversity decline in forest remnants: A restoration experiment using biocontrol beetles and manual clearance

Abstract:

The ecological health and functioning of lowland forest ecosystems on agriculturally-modified floodplains in northern New Zealand are under serious threat from weed invasion. The most widespread alien plant species is the monocotyledonous herb, Tradescantia fluminensis. Tradescantia forms dense carpets covering the ground, which prevent the regeneration of native forest species, especially in farm remnants fenced from stock. A restoration experiment was established in 2016 to compare two different approaches to management of Tradescantia, namely three biocontrol beetle species from Brazil (released as a trio), which target different parts of the plant, and hand clearing. We set up the experiment at four sites (two with lower nutrient soils, two with higher nutrient soils) to assess the impact of biocontrol beetles and manual clearing on Tradescantia biomass and native plant regeneration. Monitoring of browse damage indicates establishment of all beetle species occurred within one year, and widespread dispersal (several hundred metres) of at least one biocontrol beetle species within three years. Although decreases in Tradescantia biomass occurred in all biocontrol plots by year three, the biomass at the two nutrient-enriched sites remained relatively high. At the end of three years, woody seedling establishment was highest in the hand-cleared plots, second highest in the biocontrol treatments, and lowest in the control treatments. Although the experiment needs to continue for several years before noticeable ecological benefits are achieved, it provides early promise of the use of biocontrol beetles in slowing or reversing biodiversity decline in floodplain forest remnants.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Restoration as biocontrol: Mass-ratio or diversity-invasion theory as the guiding principle?

Abstract:

Climate change and invasive species present significant barriers to restoration. Contrasting evidence from investigations into how diversity and species abundances influence invasion processes raise the question of whether land managers should restore for diversity or monocultures of high biomass species. In this study, we assessed the effect of restored perennial grassland species richness and composition on invasive species re-establishment in a calcareous, savannah ecosystem in central Texas, USA. The study also became a test of the effectiveness of restoration with climate change, as during the establishment phase (2010-2011), 88% of Texas experienced “exceptional drought” conditions. We hypothesized that invasive species re-establishment would be slowed at higher levels of restored species diversity and in plots with species with high initial biomass. We employed a two-way factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design where richness (1-4) and native species composition were manipulated in 1 x 1 m plots. All possible species combinations were included at richness levels 2 and 3 with four replicate blocks. We found that suppression of the invasive species was greatest in monocultures of the dominant native species but that suppression at the four-species treatment level was on par with this monoculture. We also found that complementarity (diversity-invasion hypothesis) operates to reduce invasive species re-establishment and that the abundance and suppressive effect of the dominant species may be reduced at intermediate levels of richness (i.e. 1 and 2 species). For each system, optimal monocultures and richness levels need be assessed.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Securing a future for the world’s threatened trees through species recovery and ecological restoration programmes

Abstract:

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Targeted action to restore populations of threatened plant species in the Cape Floristic Region

Abstract:

South Africa’s floristic diversity is incredibly rich with some 20,942 species recorded, two thirds of these are endemic, and found nowhere else in the world. South Africa contains one of the world’s six floral Kingdoms and hosts three biological hotspots, including the Cape Floristic Region. In 1726, Dutch Minister and Naturalist, François Valentyn said of the Cape Lowlands: “There is nothing more amazing than to see whole fields of flowers growing wild here of which the colours are so unusually bright and fine that it is pity that they cannot be drawn from life by a skilled artist.” Sadly, this is no longer the case, as much of the natural vegetation in this area has been lost or fragmented and associated vegetation types are now Critically Endangered. Nearly a quarter of our plant species are threatened, and we are losing species at an alarming rate, and so, with limited resources and time available, priorities have to be set and action taken for species that require immediate attention for conservation and restoration. SANBI is implementing Target 8 of the South African National Strategy for Plant Conservation through an integrated conservation programme that aims to facilitate a comprehensive approach of integrated conservation strategies, including ex situ living collections, and in situ restoration projects. Examples of this work and of restoration protocols and processes used to restore threatened species will be presented, highlighting the need to prioritise, and work together, to both safeguard and restore these species before they are lost forever.”

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

How to monitor species and population recovery as part of ecological restoration programmes?

Abstract:

Monitoring plays an important role in the conservation and recovery process. Yet many monitoring programmes do not have a sound ecological basis, are poorly designed and do not lead to appropriate management interventions or responses and are disconnected from decision making. Monitoring is often given low priority because it can be difficult and expensive to implement, and monitoring programmes are often inadequately funded and implemented. Monitoring is an opportunity to measure the success of a project’s recovery actions and provides evidence for management decisions. The abiotic conditions necessary for a species can vary greatly during plant development, the adult niche being often wider than the recruitment niche, therefore the population might persist as adults under particular conditions but without any establishment of new recruits. This highlights the importance of performing an integrated analysis, combining the ecological, demographic, and genetic monitoring results. Demographic monitoring will assess changes in population size, dynamics and fitness. It may require frequent measurements or mapping to achieve the level of resolution necessary for an unbiased interpretation of the results. Sufficient contemporary gene flow between individuals, within and between populations, is often a key factor for the long-term persistence of populations. It is therefore a crucial element to consider in genetic monitoring. In this talk, we provide advice on developing a monitoring plan and the different components that should be considered. The various scales for monitoring and the different variables to be measured are outlined.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Species recovery programmes as an important component of ecological restoration: How restoration practitioners can learn from the botanic garden community

Abstract:

The drivers for ecological restoration have increasingly to do with carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services, one consequence of which is that most restoration programmes comprise relatively few plant species with little or no emphasis on biodiversity conservation. This is a missed opportunity because many rare and threatened plant species could be incorporated into restoration programmes as part of species recovery strategies. While a few countries have well developed species recovery systems, most do not, and the situation is quite acute in the tropics where comparatively little action is undertaken. Moreover, most threatened species occur outside protected areas and, so far, efforts to address their conservation have been largely neglected. The Ecological Restoration Alliance of Botanic Gardens (ERA) is a global consortium of botanic gardens actively engaged in ecological restoration and species recovery. Botanic gardens, arboreta, and seed banks play a vital role in restoring degraded ecosystems, incorporating a wide range of indigenous species for biodiversity conservation, as well as carrying out targeted species recovery actions for threatened species. In this paper, we will give examples of how rare and threatened plants can be incorporated into ecological restoration programmes – a win:win for ecological resilience and for biodiversity conservation.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Challenges in determining the best rehabilitation parameters and criteria for arid areas with specific reference to the Southern Kalahari region of South Africa

Abstract:

Transformation of arid areas is extensive due to inter-generational accumulation of mining impacts. Transformation is further escalated as water supply infrastructure allows for higher population development than naturally possible. Arid ecosystems offer limited land use opportunities and respond at a slower, non-successional rate than other ecosystems. The high cost of rehabilitating arid areas is difficult to justify, especially with success uncertain. This study investigates how to select the best parameters and criteria to determine rehabilitation success in arid areas. The changing, more demanding legislation and increasing rehabilitation costs to meet mine closure obligations requires a greater understanding of arid area rehabilitation. Rehabilitation aimed to restore mined areas to its “predetermined natural state” as legally required is a challenge. Normally, the original natural state has not been quantified. Many times, a broad understanding of the natural state is used. In best practice, analogue benchmarks are validated chrono-sequentially. The specific issue we address is which parameters and criteria should be used to determine rehabilitation success. We systematically evaluate 40 records in the field of arid area rehabilitation in Australia, South Africa, and Namibia. Publications from 2005 to 2015 are compared and fifteen case studies are showcased. Over 114 parameters are used in arid areas. Through an analytical hierarchy process we determined the best parameter combination for mines in the Southern Kalahari region in South Africa. Forty-six percent of the cases use analogue models successfully. A sample of parameters are generally used to derive limited conclusions. Sometimes this can be defended as efficient.

Resource Type:Audio/Video, Conference Presentation, SER2019
Publication Date: 2019
Pre-approved for CECs under SER's CERP program

Gondwana Link – are we there yet?

Abstract:

Gondwana Link, a program established in 2002, is focused on achieving transformational restoration of habitats and ecosystem functions across 1000 kilometres of south-western Australia. Much has been achieved that we can be proud of. This ranges from the technical, such as the practical restoration techniques adopted for patch scale replanting in habitat gaps to achieve maximum ecological restoration at minimum cost, through to attempts to restore traditional fire management over millions of hectares. As the program matures, a myriad of projects, often managed quite independently, work loosely together as a cohesive, if not collaborative, effort adding up to meaningful change at scale. Difficulties include building effective cohesion between the different efforts in a funding world built largely on competitive behaviour; the need to raise funds beyond current environmental expenditure levels in Australia; and the challenge of measuring impact at numerous different scales. In this presentation we will set out the three different organisational structures we have worked through so far, test their strengths and weaknesses, and explore the underlying philosophy of change that has underpinned steady growth. We will also explore how our program straddles a broad spectrum of approaches, incorporating elements of what has been termed ‘novel’ ecosystems and ecosystem service payments, such as for carbon sequestration, through to focused attempts to precisely replicate reference ecosystems.

Resource Type:SER2019
Publication Date: 2019