Resource Database

The Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest Chapter 2019 Graduate Student Colloquia: Day 2

Community Science for the 21st century, a tool of Environmental Justice (Emma MacDonald).

Emma MacDonald is currently a graduate student within IslandWood and Antioch University’s Urban Environmental Education program. This program is a novel approach to traditional Environmental Education pedagogy, emphasizing environmental leadership, social justice, and expanding place-based experiential learning to include the built environments of our cities. Emma has a background in conservation research and ecological restoration through several positions across Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Emma’s webinar presentation will focus on utilizing community science (formerly known as citizen science) as a tool for the environmental justice movement; mobilizing communities to become involved with all aspects of planning, research, and implementation of results to effect positive and sustainable change. 

The Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest Chapter 2019 Graduate Student Colloquia: Day 3

1) Variation in perceptions of the stormwater social-ecological system in Puget Sound: insights for management across the land-sea interface (Caitlyn O’Connor)

I will investigate the perceptions of the impacts of non-point source pollution (stormwater) on the marine ecosystem in Puget Sound, Washington by eliciting regional expert opinions’ in the stormwater science and management realm. Specifically, my objectives are to: 1) Describe variation in the ways stormwater experts perceive the structure of the Puget Sound stormwater social-social ecological system. 2) Explore the consequences of differences in variation in perceptions in the stormwater social-social ecological system for management. 3) Develop a consensus model of the Puget Sound stormwater social-ecological system that can be used to support management decisions. These objectives build off one another to end with a tool that will hopefully enhance our understanding of the impacts of emerging contaminants (stormwater), improve our knowledge of the transport of pollutants in the Puget Sound ecosystem, and preliminarily evaluate the perception of how much recovery needs to happen.

2) How can Floodplain Restoration Enhance Streamflow and Salmon Habitat in the Stillaguamish River? (Ashley Bagley)

This project builds upon the Stillaguamish Tribe’s traditional knowledge and collaborations with Snohomish County to predict where floodplain restoration can provide the greatest increase in salmonid habitat by amplifying groundwater-surface water exchange. Our study includes five areas within the North and South Forks had warmer temperatures than side channels and tributaries. Further statistical analysis is needed to identify specific reaches that would create the most beneficial salmonid habitat. The Stillaguamish Tribe and Snohomish County will be able to use the study results for future hydrologic modeling of groundwater-surface water interactions using collected water quality data, and in the evaluation of large wood installations planned for 2019. 

How can we map ecological restoration onto a rapidly changing world?

Don Falk, SER’s first Executive Director and expert in fire and restoration ecology, discusses the future of restoration ecological in the face of climate change.

The Nature Conservancy Water Funds Toolbox

Water Funds are organizations that take collective action to help address water insecurity. They design and enhance financial and governance mechanisms which unite public, private and civil society stakeholders around a common goal to contribute to water security through nature-based solutions and sustainable watershed management. This toolbox has been developed by Water Funds experts to help leaders succeed in developing Water Funds. This web-based toolbox has a variety of resources including a step-by-step guide, a curriculum, and access to a global community of Water Funds.

Cascading impacts of large-carnivore extirpation in an African ecosystem

The world’s largest carnivores are declining and now occupy mere fractions of their historical ranges. Theory predicts that when apex predators disappear, large herbivores should become less fearful, occupy new habitats, and modify those habitats by eating new food plants. Yet experimental support for this prediction has been difficult to obtain in large-mammal systems. Following the extirpation of leopards and African wild dogs from Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, forest-dwelling antelopes (bushbuck, Tragelaphus sylvaticus) expanded into treeless floodplains, where they consumed novel diets and suppressed a common food plant (waterwort, Bergia mossambicensis). By experimentally simulating predation risk, we demonstrate that this behavior was reversible. Thus, whereas anthropogenic predator extinction disrupted a trophic cascade by enabling rapid differentiation of prey behavior, carnivore restoration may just as rapidly reestablish that cascade.

Ecological restoration law: concepts and case studies

Ecological restoration is as essential as sustainable development for the health of the biosphere. Restoration, however, has been a low priority of most countries’ environmental laws, which tend to focus narrowly on rehabilitation of small, discrete sites rather than the more ambitious recovery of entire ecosystems and landscapes. Through critical theoretical perspectives and topical case studies, this book’s diverse contributors explore a more ambitious agenda for ecological restoration law. Not only do they investigate current laws and other governance mechanisms; they also consider the philosophical and methodological bases for the law to take ecological restoration more seriously. Through exploration of themes relating to time, space, geography, semiotics, social justice, and scientific knowledge, this book offers innovative and critical insights into ecological restoration law.

Addressing Water Scarcity through Restoration

Join Louise Stafford of The Nature Conservancy and John Owino of IUCN for a discussion of restoration efforts to ensure water security, in South Africa and East Africa. Moderated by Craig Beatty of IUCN and SER’s Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration section.

Native Plant Conservation Campaign ecosystem services online portal

A diagnostic for collaborative monitoring in forest landscape restoration

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) requires a long-term commitment from a range of stakeholders to plan the restoration initiative collaboratively and see it through successfully. This is only possible when the people involved – whether they are landholders, indigenous groups, government entities, non-governmental organizations or other crucial actors – come together to define common goals and monitor progress toward those goals. Collaborative monitoring can play a crucial role in these processes by providing a structured way to include diverse stakeholders in FLR, generate local buy-in and catalyze social learning. However, collaborative monitoring is new to many FLR planners and, while they may be interested in implementing collaborative monitoring, they may not know where to start. This diagnostic provides a systematic way for FLR planners to assess their FLR initiatives against a checklist of success factors. The diagnostic helps practitioners to: (1) determine whether they are ready for collaborative monitoring; (2) identify what elements need to strengthened; and (3) assess whether existing monitoring systems are on the right track. The diagnostic can be applied on at least two scales: it includes factors to be used at a specific FLR site and it outlines the factors that are intrinsic to a multi-level collaborative monitoring system. It consists of a core matrix of 42 success factors, plus suggestions for performing the assessment.

Forest and landscape restoration dataset

Large areas worldwide have been deforested or degraded with a resulting loss of fertile soils, biodiversity and carbon stock. Deforestation and land degradation threaten the livelihoods, well-being, and resilience of millions of people around the world. Restoration of degraded lands is included as one of the Sustainable Development Goals (Goal 15), and multiple international and regional initiatives have been set up in the last few years (Bonn Challenge, 20×20 initiative). This theme focuses on mapping and characterizing restoration initiatives.

Low-tech process based restoration of riverscapes design manual

The purpose of this design manual is to provide restoration practitioners with guidelines for implementing a subset of low-tech tools—namely beaver dam analogues (BDAs) and post-assisted log structures (PALS)—for initiating process-based restoration in structurally-starved riverscapes. While the concept of process-based restoration in riverscapes has been advocated for at least two decades, details and specific examples on how to implement it remain sparse. Here, we describe ‘low-tech process-based restoration’ (LT-PBR) as a practice of using simple, low unit-cost, structural additions (e.g. wood and beaver dams) to riverscapes to mimic functions and initiate specific processes. Hallmarks of this approach include:

• An explicit focus on the processes that a low-tech restoration intervention is meant to promote
• A conscious effort to use cost-effective, low-tech treatments (e.g. hand-built, natural materials, non-engineered, short-term design life-spans) because of the need to efficiently scale-up application.
• ‘Letting the system do the work’ which defers critical decision making to riverscapes and nature’s ecosystem engineers

Rate of forest recovery after fire exclusion on anthropogenic savannas in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Deforestation in the tropics is often followed by the creation of anthropogenic savannas used for animal husbandry. By discontinuing burning regimes, forests may recolonize the savanna and carbon stocksmay recover. However, little is known about the success and speed of tropical forest recovery, while such information is vital for a better quantification of efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) as well as supporting Forest LandscapeRestoration (FLR) practices. Therefore, we designed a forest regeneration experiment within a savanna patch in the Mayombe hills(Democratic Republic of Congo), by discontinuing the annual burning regime in an 88 ha exclosure since 2005. 101 permanent inventory plots (40.4 ha) were installed in 2010 and remeasured in 2014. Tree species were classified as savanna or forest specialists. We estimate a forest specialist encroachment rate of 9 stems ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ and a savanna specialist disappearance rate of 16 stems ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Average diameter of forest specialists did not change due to an increasing influx of recruits, while average diameter of savanna trees increased due to decreasing recruitment. Carbon stored by forest specialists increased from 3.12 to 5.60 Mg C ha⁻¹, suggesting a forest carbon recovery rate of 0.62 Mg C ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Using the average carbon stock of 19 nearby mature rainforestplots as a reference, we estimate a total forest carbon recovery time of at least 150 years. The Manzonzi exclosure may potentially become an important reference experiment to quantify REDD+ schemes in Central Africa. Furthermore, this natural regeneration experiment demonstrates how carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation can go hand-in-hand. However, more censuses are needed to better quantify the long-term carbon recovery trajectory within the protected area.

Science framework for conservation and restoration of the sagebrush biome: Linking the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy to long-term strategic conservation actions. Part 2. Management applications

The Science Framework is intended to link the Department of the Interior’s Integrated Rangeland Fire Management Strategy with long-term strategic conservation and restoration actions in the sagebrush biome. The focus is on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems and sagebrush dependent species with an emphasis on Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Part 1 of the Science Framework, published in 2017, provides the scientific information and decision-support tools for prioritizing areas for management and determining effective management strategies across the sagebrush biome. Part 2, this document, provides the management considerations for applying the information and tools in Part 1. Part 2 is intended to facilitate implementation of resource management priorities and use of management strategies that increase ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative invasive annual grasses. The target audience of Part 2 is field managers, resource specialists, and regional and national-level managers. The topics addressed in this volume include adaptive management and monitoring, climate adaptation, wildfire and vegetation management, nonnative invasive plant management, application of National Seed Strategy concepts, livestock grazing management, wild horse and burro considerations, and integration and tradeoffs. Geospatial data, maps, and models for the Science Framework are provided through the U.S. Geological Survey’s ScienceBase database and Bureau of Land Management’s Landscape Approach Data Portal. The Science Framework is intended to be adaptive and will be updated as additional data become available on other values and species at risk. It is anticipated that the Science Framework will be widely used to: (1) inform emerging strategies to conserve sagebrush ecosystems, sagebrush dependent species, and human uses of the sagebrush system; and (2) assist managers in prioritizing and planning on-the-ground restoration and mitigation actions across the sagebrush biome.

Plant Biology Special Issue: Natural Capital from Native Seeds

The papers in this Special Issue are broadly clustered around the following topics: technical advances, seed quality for restoration, methods to improve seed germination in dormant seed lots, demands imposed by changing environmental conditions, and the role of national policies in the use of native seed.

Using naturally occurring climate resilient corals to construct bleaching-resistant nurseries

Adapting land restoration to a changing climate: Embracing the knowns and unknowns

There is hope for achieving ambitious Atlantic Forest restoration commitments

Achieving ambitious global restoration commitments is a huge challenge. The Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, created in 2009 as a movement to restore 15 Mha of degraded/deforested lands by 2050, pledged 1 Mha towards the 2020 Bonn Challenge. We documented the restoration of an estimated 673,510–740,555 ha of native forests from 2011 to 2015 in the Atlantic Forest, and expect that a total of 1.35–1.48 Mha will be under recovery by 2020. The Pact is one of the first Brazilian restoration initiatives to monitor an international restoration commitment and to demonstrate that ambitious targets can be reached. Part of this success in large-scale restoration is related to three main Pact activities: (i) development of restoration governance, communication and articulation; (ii) promotion of strategies to influence public policies; and (iii) establishment of restoration monitoring systems. The experience and lessons learned by the Pact could inspire and inform other restoration initiatives worldwide.

Core Principles for Successfully Implementing and Upscaling Nature-based Solutions

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) can be an effective framework for reversing the trend of ongoing degradation of natural resources, by increasing the alignment between conservation and sustainable development objectives. We present the definition and principles underpinning the NbS framework, recently adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and compare it to (1) the Ecosystem Approach that was the foundation for developing the NbS definitional framework, and (2) four specific ecosystem-based approaches (Forest Landscape Restoration, Ecosystem-based Adaptation, Ecological Restoration and Protected Areas) that can be considered as falling under the NbS framework. This critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the NbS principles can inform the review and revision of principles supporting specific types of NbS (such as the approaches reviewed here), as well as serve as the foundation for the development of standards for the successful implementation of NbS.

How Standards can Improve Implementation of Global Restoration Initiatives

In this webinar presented by the IUCN-CEM Ecosystem Restoration Thematic Group, SER Executive Director Bethanie Walder discusses how the Society’s International Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration can be used to increase the success of restoration projects and, ultimately, improve implementation of global restoration initiatives.

Nature-based Solutions Bibliography

This interactive bibliography on Nature-based Solutions allows you to explore publications on the role or use of biodiversity and ecosystems to 1) address impacts from climate change, 2) help store carbon or reduce carbon emissions, and 3) promote ecosystem-health in the context of climate change. Maps show numbers of publications focusing on different habitats, regions, the societal challenge that a nature-based solution is applicable to, and the broad type of NbS under study (NbS approach).

Ecological Restoration Training Virtual Library

A virtual library of both web-based resources and PDF articles relevant to restoration efforts in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, including restoration practices for wetlands and lakes and streams.

Ecosystem Restoration in Deeper Waters

Anne-Mette Jørgensen, North Sea Futures, talks about decommissioning obsolete oil and gas platforms and how they might be used to restore wider North Sea ecosystems  followed by Daphne Cuvelier, University of the Azores, on the restoration of deep-sea ecosystems from mining impacts.

Is Certification Right for You?

Find out whether certification is right for you and what you need to apply. SER’s Certification Program Coordinator, Jen Lyndall, will provide an overview of the Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) Program including benefits of certification, application requirements, and maintenance requirements.

Tropical Native Species Reforestation Information Clearinghouse (TRIC)

The Tropical Native Species Reforestation Information Clearinghouse (TRIC) is a resource hosted by the Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative (ELTI) and aims to support capacity-building in the field of tropical forest restoration and reforestation. TRIC users can search by resource type, topic, country, region and ecosystem to find valuable reforestation resources. Users can also submit suggested resources for addition to the database.

Reef Resilience Network

The Reef Resilience Network connects marine resource managers with information, experts, resources, and skill-building opportunities to accelerate and leverage solutions for improved conservation and restoration of coral reefs and reef fisheries around the world. The Network is a partnership led by The Nature Conservancy that is comprised of more than 1,350 members, and supported by dozens of partners and TNC staff, as well as over 100 global experts in coral reefs, fisheries, climate change, communication, and more who serve as trainers, advisors, and content reviewers. The Network strengthens members’ ability to effectively manage coral reefs threatened by warming seas, bleaching, coastal development, pollution, overfishing, and changes in ocean chemistry. To achieve this, they synthesize and share the latest science and management strategies to keep busy managers inspired and in-the-know. The website is updated by global experts and features the latest information on key topics, easily searchable summaries of journal articles featuring resilience science, and case studies highlighting successful management strategies and new application of science. They also connect managers and experts to share resources and lessons learned that inform and improve management decisions and inspire greater collaborations.

Introducing chicken farming into traditional ruminant-grazing dominated production systems for promoting ecological restoration of degraded rangeland in northern China

Free-range chicken farming (CF) has been demonstrated to be effective in controlling locust plagues and restoring degraded vegetation in rangelands. However, the effects of CF on vegetation growth and soil conditions of rangeland ecosystems are not yet well known. We studied the effects of CF (treated by three stocking rates from low-intensity to high-intensity), livestock grazing (LG) and zero grazing (ZG) on
vegetation characteristics and soil nutrient conditions in a degraded rangeland of northern China. CF significantly improved vegetation growth and soil quality compared with LG. The moderate CF2 with 333 birds per hectare enhanced the aboveground net primary production to 204·0 g m2 yr1 and vegetation cover to 88·8%, which is significantly higher than LG by 80·7% and 62·9%, respectively. Moreover, CF2 neutralized the pH value and raised soil organic matter, total N content, available N content and available P content to approximately 7·59 g kg1, 0·34 g kg1, 83·52 mg kg1 and 3·4 mg kg1, respectively. Compared with ZG, the positive impacts of CF on rangelands depended on the stocking rate, and better performance was achieved when lower stocking rates were used. We also analysed the economic benefits of CF through
a cost–benefit analysis. A local family could obtain a net present value of at least $252·19 per hectare by engaging in CF, which was two-fold higher than LG. Finally, we proposed a novel land-use model that introduces CF into traditional LG dominated system and can be widely applied to promote socio-ecological sustainable development in degraded rangelands.

Reproductive phenology and seed germination in eight tree species from a seasonally dry tropical forest of Morelos, Mexico, implications for community-oriented restoration and conservation

With the aim of providing information for ecological restoration programs, we studied reproductive phenology and seed germination of eight species from the tropical dry forest of Morelos, Mexico. With the participation of students from the local junior high school, we monitored monthly, over one year, the production of flowers, immature and mature fruits for each species. We estimated intensity, duration, seasonality, and synchrony for each fruiting phenophase, and flowering duration. Germination tests were undertaken in a germination chamber (18–32 °C), and under the environmental conditions at the local school. We applied specific pre-germination treatments for each species. Two distinct peaks of mature fruit production were identified: one at the beginning and the other one in the middle of the dry season. Fructification seasonality was significant in most cases. Germination was relatively high in three legumes and particularly low in two Bursera species. Four species responded to the germination environments, and differences among pre-germination treatments were significant in most cases. Knowledge on fruiting patterns and seed viability and germination will allow adequate decision-making for seed collection and plant propagation of the study species. Student participation increased their interest and knowledge on local environmental problems and solutions.

Oportunidades y desafíos para la gobernanza de la restauración del paisaje forestal en América Latina

El presente informe contiene los resultados de una investigación, predominantemente cualitativa, que analiza los marcos legales que regulan la protección de los bosques y las actividades forestales restaurativas en 17 países de América Latina. Empleamos para ello dos herramientas de análisis: (1) un análisis sistemático del contenido y la estructura de los marcos legales a partir de una serie de indicadores predefinidos y (2) un análisis sobre las percepciones de actores públicos y privados acerca del contenido, estructura e implementación de los marcos legales. Finalmente, sintetizamos los resultados en relación a las oportunidades y desafíos de los marcos legales existentes en la región con el fin de proponer recomendaciones para mejorar este aspecto de la gobernanza de la Restauración del Paisaje Forestal en Latinoamérica.

This report, published in Spanish, contains the results of a qualitative study analyzing the legal frameworks that regulate activities related to the protection and restoration of forests in 17 Latin American countries. The study used two analytical methods: (1) a systematic analysis of the content and structure of relevant legal frameworks based on a series of predetermined indicators, and (2) an analysis of the perceptions of stakeholders in the public and private sectors with respect to the content, structure and implementation of these legal frameworks. Lastly, the report synthesizes findings regarding the opportunities and challenges presented by existing legal frameworks in the region and presents recommendations for improving Forest and Landscape Restoration governance in Latin America.

Principles and practices for the restoration of ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests of the Colorado Front Range

Wildfires have become larger and more severe over the past several decades on Colorado’s Front Range, catalyzing greater investments in forest management intended to mitigate wildfire risks. The complex ecological, social, and political context of the Front Range, however, makes forest management challenging, especially where multiple management goals including forest restoration exist. In this report, the authors present a science-based framework for managers to develop place-based approaches to forest restoration of Front Range ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer forests. The authors first present ecological information describing how Front Range forest structure and composition are shaped at multiple scales by interactions among topography, natural disturbances such as fire, and forest developmental processes.  Implementation of these guidelines is expected to enhance forest resilience to disturbance and climate change, as well as sustain important ecosystem services. Finally, this report emphasizes the importance of adaptive management and learning through monitoring and experimentation to address uncertainties inherent in the restoration process.

The global status and trends of Payments for Ecosystem Services

Recent decades have witnessed a considerable increase in Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)—programmes that exchange value for land management practices intended to provide or ensure ecosystem services—with over 550 active programmes around the globe and an estimated US$36–42 billion in annual transactions. PES represent a recent policy instrument with often very different programmes operating at local, regional and national levels. Despite the growth of these programmes, comprehensive and reliable data have proven difficult to find. This Analysis provides an assessment of the trends and current status of PES mechanisms—user-financed, government-financed and compliance—across the domains of water, biodiversity, and forest and land-use carbon around the world. We report the various dimensions of growth over the past decade (number of programmes, geographical spread, dollar value) to understand better the range of PES mechanisms over time and to examine which factors have contributed to or hindered growth. Four key features stand out for scaling up PES: motivated buyers, motivated sellers, metrics and low-transaction-cost institutions.