Resource Database

The cost and feasibility of marine coastal restoration

Here, we perform a synthesis of 235 studies with 954 observations from restoration or rehabilitation projects of coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, salt- marshes, and oyster reefs worldwide, and evaluate cost, survival of restored organisms, project duration, area, and techniques applied.

The dynamic trend of soil water content in artificial forests on the Loess Plateau, China

Extensive vegetation restoration projects have been widely implemented on the Loess Plateau, China, since 1998. In addition, increasing attention has been paid to the influence of revegetation on soil water. However, the response of the soil water content (SWC) to vegetation construction and management has not been adequately studied until now.

The relationship between ecological restoration and the ecosystem services concept

We use case studies from four continents to help demonstrate how the interconnection between ecological restoration and the ecosystem services concept is being utilized in land-use planning and enlightened ecosystem management. We offer ways in which this relationship can be better understood and communicated to support the scaling up of restoration activities to the landscape and regional scales across the full spectrum of
land uses and ecosystem types.

Timescales and the management of ecological systems

Human management of ecological systems, including issues like fisheries, invasive species, and restoration, as well as others, often must be undertaken with limited information. This means that developing general principles and heuristic approaches is important. Here, I focus on one aspect, the importance of an explicit consideration of time, which arises because of the inherent limitations in the response of ecological systems.

Toward dynamic flow regime management for floodplain restoration in the Atchafalaya River Basin Louisiana

This study proposes a novel approach for establishing adaptive environmental-flow prescriptions for rivers, channels, and floodways with substantial flow augmentation and a limited decision space using the highly altered Atchafalaya River Basin (ARB) in Louisiana as an example.

What’s wrong with novel ecosystems, really?

We offer a decision tree for restoration action that integrates aspects of novel ecosystems with other perspectives in modern restoration ecology. We conclude that the idea of novel ecosystems, though not perfect, deserves a place under the “big tent” of restoration that includes efforts to return fully to a reference state, as well as strategies for reinstating lost ecological processes and enhancing ecosystem services in transformed landscapes where such a return is deemed infeasible.

When is a forest a forest? Forest Concepts and definitions in the era of forest and landscape restoration

We present a historical overview of forest concepts and definitions, linking these changes with distinct perspectives and management objectives. Policies dealing with a broad range of forest issues are often based on definitions created for the purpose of assessing global forest stocks, which do not distinguish between natural and planted forests or reforests, and which have not proved useful in assessing national and global rates of forest regrowth and restoration. We provide a framework to illustrate how different management objectives drive the relative importance of different aspects of forest state, dynamics, and landscape context.

A framework for developing monitoring plans for coastal wetland restoration and living shoreline projects in New Jersey

This document provides guidance on how to select monitoring metrics and develop a monitoring plan for coastal wetland restoration and living shoreline projects in New Jersey. Because it is important for all projects to have some level of monitoring, this framework is intended to cover a variety of coastal wetland restoration and living shoreline techniques and be adaptable to the needs of users from a range of backgrounds – from those with little experience and small budgets, to experts with larger budgets who may plan to publish their findings and advance the understanding of living shoreline and wetland restoration activities.

Biodiversity monitoring for natural resource management: An introductory manual

This brief introduction to biodiversity monitoring aims to provide practical guidance for professionals working towards sustainable management of natural resources, especially in developing countries. It addresses some of the principal questions, issues and pitfalls in biodiversity monitoring and offers carefully selected references for further reading.

A cost-benefit framework for analyzing forest landscape restoration decisions

Forest landscape restoration activities are often misunderstood as involving high upfront costs and low rates of return. To address this gap in knowledge, this report presents a cost-benefit framework for accounting for the ecosystem services and economic impacts of forest landscape restoration activities in a way that allows the results to be structured to inform multiple types of restoration decision-making that can help decision makers understand the trade-offs of different restoration scenarios. The results can be used to set prices for payment for ecosystem services, identify sources of restoration finance, identify low-cost/high-benefit pathways towards carbon sequestration, and identify priority landscapes for restoration based on return-on-investment analysis.

A cross sector guide for implementing the mitigation hierarchy

This guidance document is designed to guide users through the practical implementation of the mitigation hierarchy, and offers guidance for understanding each step in the sequence described above, both at the initial design and planning stages of a project and throughout the project’s lifespan. It is aimed primarily at environmental professionals, working in, or with, the extractive industries, and who are responsible for managing the potential risks of project impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services.

A guide for incorporating ecosystem service valuation into coastal restoration projects

This guidebook provides a framework for incorporating ecosystem service valuations at the beginning, rather than at the end, of coastal habitat restoration and creation projects. Applying ecosystem service valuation to coastal restoration projects has multiple advantages, including greater stakeholder support and greater likelihood of project success.

NERRS System Wide Monitoring Program: IERQC Webinar

Topic: NERRS System Wide Monitoring Program

Presenter: Kristi Arend, Old Woman Creek NERR and OH state nature preserve

Harvesting invasive plants from Great Lakes coastal wetlands increases biodiversity, removes nutrients, and provides biomass for green energy: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Harvesting invasive plants from Great Lakes coastal wetlands increases biodiversity, removes nutrients, and provides biomass for green energy

Presenter: Shane Lishawa, Loyola University

Managing Wisconsin’s Plant List in SRS: So Many Names, So Little Time: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Managing Wisconsin’s Plant List in SRS:  So Many Names, So Little Time

Presenters: Donalea Dinsmore, Tom Bernthal, John Harnan, Dan McCarthy,  WDNR and EPA

Geddes Brook Floodplain Remediation and Restoration: Design, Execution, and Lessons Learned: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Geddes Brook Floodplain Remediation and Restoration: Design, Execution, and Lessons Learned

Presenter: Raymond D’Hollander, Parsons

Pre- and Post-Restoration Vegetative Data Collection for the CICN Dolomite Prairie Enhancement Project, Will County, Illinois: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Pre- and Post-Restoration Vegetative Data Collection for the CICN Dolomite Prairie Enhancement Project, Will County, Illinois

Presenter: Paul Bollinger, Bollinger Environmental Inc

The Michigan Dune Alliance: Restoring Eastern Lake Michigan Coastal Ecosystems: IERQC Webinar

Topic:  The Michigan Dune Alliance:  Restoring Eastern Lake Michigan Coastal Ecosystems

Presenter:  Shaun Howard, The Nature Conservancy

Great Lakes Legacy Act: Quality Systems Process and Data Management: IERQC Webinar

Presenter:  Mark Loomis, USEPA

Restoration Projects in the Tenmile Creek/Ottawa River Watershed, NW Ohio: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Restoration Projects in the Tenmile Creek/Ottawa River Watershed, NW Ohio

Presenter: Patrick Lawrence, University of Toledo

Using Adaptive Management to Create Sustainable Great Lakes Fish Communities via Habitat Restoration: IERQC Webinar

Topic:  Using Adaptive Management to Create Sustainable Great Lakes Fish Communities via Habitat Restoration

Presenters: Bohling, Vaccaro, Manny, Read, Bennion, Kennedy, Roseman, Boase, Thomas, Drouin, and Diana.

Adaptive Strategies for Ecosystem Restoration: Dallas Floodway Extension, Texas and Times Beach, New York: IERQC Webinar

Topic:  Adaptive Strategies for Ecosystem Restoration:  Dallas Floodway Extension, Texas and Times Beach, New York

Presenter:  Gary Owen Dick, US Army Corps of Engineers

Aquatic Habitat Restoration in Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, Lake County, Indiana: Implementation, Monitoring, and Long-Term Sustainability: IERQC Webinar

opic:  Aquatic Habitat Restoration in Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, Lake County, Indiana: Implementation, Monitoring, and Long-Term Sustainability

Presenter: Jim Smith, Anne Remek Kominowski (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) and Dan Sparks (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

UN-REDD Benefits and Risks Tool (BeRT)

The UN-REDD Programme, which supports ecosystem restoration as a tool to sequester carbon, developed the Benefits and Risks Tool (BeRT). The BerRT is designed to support countries in identifying benefits and risks associated with REDD+ actions, as well as relevant Policies, Laws and Regulations. The tool also supports countries developing Safeguard Information Systems (SIS) for implementing REDD+ activities. REDD+ activities, as defined by the UNFCCC, includes the enhancement of forest carbon stocks, which may be implemented through restoration interventions.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
The BerRT, in line with activity B1, is designed to support countries in identifying benefits and risks associated with REDD+ actions in the context of the Cancun safeguards (B5), as well as relevant Policies, Laws and Regulations.

Making the case for ecosystem-based adaptation: The Global Mountain EBA Programme in Nepal, Peru and Uganda

The objective of the Programme was to strengthen the capacities of these countries to build ecosystem resilience for promoting EbA options and to reduce the vulnerability of communities, with particular emphasis on mountain ecosystems. The publication focuses on showcasing and capturing lessons learned on the process of making the case to government and other stakeholders for EbA to be included in broader adaptation strategies, and for the policy and finance shifts needed to bring this about.

Promoting the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of mangrove ecosystems

ISME was appointed to prepare a Synthesis Report with the following terms of reference: 1. Review and analyze mangrove-related activities and projects undertaken by ITTO; 2. Prepare a compendium of recent mangrove-related activities/initiatives for conservation and sustainable management of mangrove forests being undertaking by leading mangrove related organizations; 3. Prepare a background paper and draft program for an international mangrove conference in June/July 2016; and 4. Review and identify priority areas to support the development of ITTO mangrove strategies, and suggest action plans.

Restoring and protecting agricultural and forest landscapes and increasing agricultural productivity

The report, “Restoring and protecting agricultural and forest landscapes and increasing agricultural productivity”, emphasizes the benefits of conserving and restoring landscapes that both preserve zones of natural forest and support human populations through sustainable agriculture and forestry.

Revaluing Ecosystems: Pathways for scaling up the inclusion of ecosystem value in decision making

The goal of this “revaluing” effort is to promote longer-term thinking and create incentives to protect and restore ecosystems and ensure their sustainable use. The issue brief presents 6 key issues which emerged.

Scaling up regreening: six steps to success – A practical approach to forest and landscape restoration

Scaling Up Regreening: Six Steps to Success highlights the benefits of “regreening” and its widespread adoption in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, northern Ethiopia and Malawi, and identifies six steps to scale up regreening practices in Africa and beyond.

Sustainable financing for forest and landscape restoration: Opportunities, challenges and the way forward

It provides an overview of existing funding sources and financial instruments that could be used and adapted specifically for the implementation of FLR efforts at the national, regional and global levels. It identifies innovative financing mechanisms to support the achievement of these global targets and discusses the main challenges for enhanced FLR financing. Based on lessons learned through many related initiatives, it also proposes solutions to support the enabling conditions needed for sound FLR investments. This discussion paper will help FLR stakeholders better understand the financial architecture related to FLR and identify areas that need further action to unlock the potential of sustainable financing mechanisms for FLR.