©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.
Building Local Community Commitment to Wetlands Restoration: A Case Study of the Cache River Wetlands in Southern Illinois, USA
Abstract:While extensive research efforts have been directed toward understanding the biophysical dimensions of wetland conservation, the literature provides less guidance on how to successfully integrate community stakeholders into restoration planning. Therefore, this study explores the social construction of wetlands locally, and community members’ perceptions of the wetland restoration project in the Cache River Watershed of southern Illinois, where public and private agencies have partnered together to implement a large-scale wetlands restoration project. Findings illustrate that the wetlands hold diverse and significant meanings to community members and that community members’ criteria for project success may vary from those identified by project managers. The case study provides managers with strategies for building community commitment such as engaging local citizens in project planning, minimizing local burdens, maximizing local benefits, and reducing uncertainty.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Can the Concept of Ecosystem Services be Practically Applied to Improve Natural Resource Management Decisions?
Abstract:Applying ecosystem service valuation principles to natural resources management has the potential to encourage the efficient use of resources, but can decision support systems built on these principles be made both practical and robust? The limitations to building such systems are the practical limits on managers’ time to develop or learn tools and the state of the science to support decision-making components. We address this question by applying a cost- effectiveness analysis framework and optimization model to support the targeting of restoration funds to control an invasive grass (Bromus tectorum) in agro-ecosystems. The optimization aims to maximize benefits derived from a suite of ecosystem services that may be enhanced through site restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Challenges in Integrating the Concept of Ecosystem Services and Values in Landscape Planning, Management and Decision Making
Abstract:Despite the growing body of literature on ecosystem services, still many challenges remain to structurally integrate ecosystem services in landscape planning, management and design. This paper therefore aims to provide an overview of the challenges involved in applying ecosystem service assessment and valuation to environmental management and discuss some solutions to come to a comprehensive and practical framework.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Climate Change Implications for River Restoration in Global Biodiversity Hotspots
Abstract:Global biodiversity hotspots contain exceptional concentrations of endemic species in areas of escalating habitat loss. However, most hotspots are geographically constrained and consequently vulnerable to climate change as there is limited ability for the movement of species to less hostile conditions. Predicted changes to rainfall and temperature will undoubtedly further impact on freshwater ecosystems in these hotspots. Southwestern Australia is a biodiversity hotspot and, as one of the first to experience significant climate change, is an example and potentially a global bellwether for issues associated with river restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Climate Change Implications for River Restoration in Global Biodiversity Hotspots
Abstract:Global biodiversity hotspots contain exceptional concentrations of endemic species in areas of escalating habitat loss. However, most hotspots are geographically constrained and consequently vulnerable to climate change as there is limited ability for the movement of species to less hostile conditions. Predicted changes to rainfall and temperature will undoubtedly further impact on freshwater ecosystems in these hotspots. Southwestern Australia is a biodiversity hotspot and, as one of the first to experience significant climate change, is an example and potentially a global bellwether for issues associated with river restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Composition and Dynamics of Functional Groups of Trees During Tropical Forest Succession in Northeastern Costa Rica
Abstract:We compared the functional type composition of trees less than 10 cm dbh in eight secondary forest monitoring plots with logged and unlogged mature forest plots in lowland wet forests of Northeastern Costa Rica. Five plant functional types were delimited based on diameter growth rates and canopy height of 293 tree species. Tree stature and growth rates capture much of the functional variation that appears to drive successional dynamics. Results further suggest strong linkages between functional types defined based on adult height and growth rates of large trees and abundance of seedling and sapling regeneration during secondary succession.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Conceptual Framework for Mangrove Restoration in the Yucata_n Peninsula
Abstract:The studies performed over the last ten years by the mangrove group at Centro de Investigacio_n y de Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV), in collaboration with other institutions, resulted in a conceptual framework that we present here as a methodological approach for the ecological restoration of mangroves in the Yucata_n Peninsula. The conceptual framework is based on the relationships among the geomorphology, hydrology, and structural and functional characteristics of mangroves that are associated with the environmental services offered by these ecosystems. The methodological approach is fundamentally concerned with the particular characteristics of the karstic environmental setting of the Yucata_n Peninsula as well as social and economic aspects of restoration. This approach to mangrove restoration includes stages for planning, implementing, and monitoring mangrove restoration programs in karstic environments.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Conservation and Restoration of Plant-Animal Mutualisms on Oceanic Islands
Abstract:We highlight past and present threats to island plant–animal mutualisms, as well as the challenges and opportunities inherent to these interactions. In particular, we (1) argue that mutualistic networks provide an ideal approach to collect information and advance our knowledge on the systems, (2) suggest the use of interactions as biodiversity monitoring and assessment tools, (3) highlight the differences and similarities between pollination and seed dispersal interactions in the context of restoration, and (4) briefly discuss the ambiguous role of alien invasive species in the management of mutualistic interactions. Finally, we highlight how a recently proposed but controversial restoration strategy, rewilding, can be gainfully applied to and further advanced in island settings.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Conservation Planning for Connectivity across Marine, Freshwater, and Terrestrial Realms
Abstract:We present a conceptual framework for systematic conservation prioritization that explicitly accounts for the connectivity between the terrestrial, marine, and freshwater realms. We propose a classification of this connectivity that encompasses: (1) narrow interfaces, such as riparian strips; (2) broad interfaces, such as estuaries; (3) constrained connections, such as corridors of native vegetation used by amphibians to move between natal ponds and adult habitat; and (4) diffuse connections, such as the movements of animals between breeding and feeding habitats. We use this taxonomy of inter-realm connectivity to describe existing and new spatial conservation prioritization techniques that aim to promote the persistence of processes that operate between realms.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Coral Reef Restoration (Bolinao, Philippines) in the Face of Frequent Natural Catastrophes
Abstract:This study analyzes the effects of these natural catastrophes on restoration efforts, and presents the successes and failures of recently used restoration instruments. Our results show that (1) in the nursery phase, consideration should be paid to depth-flexible constructions and tenable species/genotypes prioritization and (2) for transplantation acts, site/species deliberation, timing, and specific site selections should be taken into account. Only the establishment of large-scale nurseries and large transplantation measures and the adapting of restoration management to the frequently changing environment may forestall extensive reef degradation due to the combination of continuous anthropogenic and worsening global changes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Cost-effectiveness of dryland forest restoration evaluated by spatial analysis of ecosystem services
Abstract:The authors explored the economic potential of a change in land use from livestock grazing to restored native forest using different discount rates and performed a cost–benefit analysis of three restoration scenarios. Results show that passive restoration is cost-effective for all study areas on the basis of the services analyzed, whereas the benefits from active restoration are generally outweighed by the relatively high costs involved.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Cost-effectiveness of Dryland Forest Restoration Evaluated by Spatial Analysis of Ecosystem Services
Abstract:Although ecological restoration is widely used to combat environmental degradation, very few studies have evaluated the cost-effectiveness of this approach. We examine the potential impact of forest restoration on the value of multiple ecosystem services across four dryland areas in Latin America, by estimating the net value of ecosystem service benefits under different reforestation scenarios. The values of selected ecosystem services were mapped under each scenario, supported by the use of a spatially explicit model of forest dynamics. We explored the economic potential of a change in land use from livestock grazing to restored native forest using different discount rates and performed a cost–benefit analysis of three restoration scenarios. Results show that passive restoration is cost-effective for all study areas on the basis of the services analyzed, whereas the benefits from active restoration are generally outweighed by the relatively high costs involved.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Cross-spatial-scale Patterns in the Facilitative Effect of Shrubs and Potential for Restoration of Desert Steppe
Abstract:Facilitation (positive plant–plant interactions) is a potential means to accelerate vegetation restoration in arid areas. Shrubs can accelerate vegetation recovery by means of soil amelioration, but this effect has not been evaluated at large spatial scales or across scales. Here, we examined the facilitative function of shrub change across spatial scales at a desert steppe in Mongolia. These results support the hypothesis of scale-dependent changes in the balance between facilitation and competition. Therefore, transplanting shrub saplings at high- density and a larger scale could potentially improve the success of vegetation restoration in arid regions.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Direct Seeding to Restore Tropical Mature-Forest Species in Areas of Slash-and-Burn Agriculture
Abstract:After tropical lands have been abandoned from anthropogenic pressures, often forest structure and some species recover naturally. Studies suggest, however, that mature-forest species are frequently slow to establish and an active management strategy may be necessary. We tested direct seeding of mature-forest species as a restoration strategy in sites previously used for slash-and-burn agriculture in semi-evergreen, seasonal forest in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, and evaluated when in the successional process this strategy had the highest success rate.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Direct Seeding to Restore Tropical Mature-Forest Species in Areas of Slash-and-Burn Agriculture
Abstract:After tropical lands have been abandoned from anthropogenic pressures, often forest structure and some species recover naturally. Studies suggest, however, that mature-forest species are frequently slow to establish and an active management strategy may be necessary. We tested direct seeding of mature-forest species as a restoration strategy in sites previously used for slash-and-burn agriculture in semi-evergreen, seasonal forest in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, and evaluated when in the successional process this strategy had the highest success rate. Our results suggest that direct seeding these mature-forest species after the first few years of natural succession could be a successful strategy to accelerate and guarantee their establishment.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Dominant Grasses Suppress Local Diversity in Restored Tallgrass Prairie
Abstract:Mesic grasslands worldwide have been degraded by conversion to agriculture, altered disturbance regimes, fragmentation, improper grazing by domestic livestock, and exotic species invasion. Many efforts to restore productive, mesic grasslands such as North American tallgrass prairie have been plagued by relatively low initial species diversity, which decreases further over time. As a result, it has been difficult to achieve a level of species diversity in these restored grasslands, that is, characteristic of their native because a few warm-season (C4) grass species become excessively dominant shortly after establishment Understanding the ecological processes and management practices that promote dominance of the warm-season grasses and loss of subordinate species will be critical for achieving the high species diversity characteristic of native tallgrass prairie in restored grasslands. In addition, gaining knowledge of how plant communities respond to changes in abundance of dominant species will aid in understanding the role of dominance in structuring communities and predicting how restored communities will respond to management practices that alter abundance of the dominant species in restored grasslands.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Ecological Considerations for Using Dipterocarps for Restoration of Lowland Rainforest in Southeast Asia
Abstract:The lowland dipterocarp forests of Southeast Asia support a substantial proportion of the world’s biodiversity. They are of considerable environmental and economic value at the local, regional and global scale, providing many goods and services to a growing population. The forests of this region are among the fastest disappearing in the world and restoration is urgently required. This paper provides a review of the ecological constraints to restoration of lowland dipterocarp forest in Southeast Asia. It focuses on the production of planting stock, the significance of site-species matching and post-planting site maintenance. It identifies gaps in our knowledge and highlights priority areas of research.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Ecological Restoration of Cleared Agricultural Land in Gondwana Link: Lifting the Bar at ‘Peniup’
Abstract:Here we use an integrated landscape approach to highlight opportunities for achieving long- term conservation in Mesoamerica. We provide an overview of the potential for agricultural landscapes and traditional smallholder farming to conserve biodiversity, propose an urgent action agenda to guide conservation in agricultural landscapes and stem the loss of biodiversity and traditional farming systems, and outline key socioeconomic, legal, and political conditions needed for successful implementation of the action plan. Although our examples and recommendations focus on Mesoamerica, our approach is relevant to other regions where there are similar challenges to conserving biodiversity in human-modified landscapes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Ecological Restoration of Rainforest Using the Natural Nucleation Approach
Abstract:Researchers at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and Universidade Tecnolo_gica Federal do Parana_, Brazil, have developed an innovative model of reforestation of native forests anchored on ecological theories and mechanisms of natural seed dispersal by animals, natural regeneration and pathways connecting forests in the region.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Ecosystem Services of Peatlands: Implications for Restoration
Abstract:The aim of this overview paper is to analyse the inclusion and use of the ecosystem services concept in scientific studies of degraded peatlands and peatland restoration. Publications indexed by the Institute of Science Information (ISI) Web of Science (WoS) from 1980 to October 2009 were analysed. Word combinations relevant to peatland ecosystem services in the title, keywords and abstract were used. We followed the division of ecosystem services into four categories: supporting, regulating, provisioning and cultural, as provided by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). The analysis indicated that the concept of ecosystem services is not referred to explicitly in ISI WoS studies on peatland restoration. The interpretation of the content identified using search phrases related to various beneficial functions of peatlands showed that they mainly include information on regulating and supporting ecosystem services critical to sustaining vital ecosystem functions that deliver benefits to people. There are only a few articles addressing provisioning and cultural ecosystem services. One of the key issues concerning the effect of peatland restoration in the provisioning of ecosystem services is the balance of greenhouse gases and their role in global climate regulation.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Establishing IUCN Red List Criteria for Threatened Ecosystems
Abstract:The potential for conservation of individual species has been greatly advanced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) development of objective, repeatable, and transparent criteria for assessing extinction risk that explicitly separate risk assessment from priority setting. At the IV World Conservation Congress in 2008, the process began to develop and implement comparable global standards for ecosystems. A working group established by the IUCN has begun formulating a system of quantitative categories and criteria, analogous to those used for species, for assigning levels of threat to ecosystems at local, regional, and global levels.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Evaluating a Large-Scale Eelgrass Restoration Project in the Chesapeake Bay
Abstract:Submerged aquatic vegetation habitat quality based on the PTSI, median PLL during the growing season, and test plantings did not explain the decline of the plantings. Restoration site selection criteria should be expanded to include the effects of wave exposure on self-shading and epiphyte loads, and the potential for both short-term exposures to stressful conditions and long-term changes in habitat quality.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Evaluating the Restoration of Dryland Ecosystems in the Northern Mediterranean
Abstract:Drylands in the northern Mediterranean present significant challenges for efforts to preserve ecosystem services. Ecological restoration combined with adaptive management can be an effective approach in response to the changing climate and environment. The development of standardized monitoring and evaluation protocols on the EC REACTION project has provided powerful insights and new tools to enhance the potential for successful restoration. The integration of biophysical and socioeconomic indicators and the collaboration between researchers, managers, and decision makers make the approach effective and sustainable. Restoration in drylands can have a marked impact on water budgets through the selection of species and the influence on landscapes and vegetation patterns. Adapting to environmental change and combating land degradation in the northern Mediterranean will require understanding the tradeoffs in ecosystem services and adjusting restoration decisions in response to monitoring and evaluating both biophysical and socioeconomic metrics.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Evaluation of Restoration Effectiveness: Community Response to the Removal of Alien Plants
Abstract:Plant invasions are a key cause of biodiversity loss and motivate many restoration programs worldwide. We assessed restoration success of an invaded forest in the Azores using two complementary experimental designs: a before–after control–impact (BACI) design compared a restored and a control (unmanipulated) site over three years, while a control–impact (CI) design evaluated the short-term effects of restoration on restored–control replicated pairs. Both experiments provide evidence of the positive effects of weeding cascading through the food web from native plants to herbivorous insects, insect parasitoids, and birds. Two aspects that could prove critical to the outcome of restoration programs deserve further attention: most bird-dispersed seeds were alien, and weeding favored alien over native seedling growth.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Facilitating Recruitment of Amphibolis as a Novel Approach to Seagrass Rehabilitation in Hydrodynamically Active Waters
Abstract:Traditional methods of seagrass restoration are expensive and have had limited success owing to high wave energy. We investigated a range of biodegradable substrates, mostly made of hessian (burlap), to enhance Amphibolis recruitment as an alternative. The technique may represent a non-destructive, cost-effective (AU $10 000 ha-1) method to restore Amphibolis over large spatial scales and in areas that are hydrodynamically too active for traditional techniques, thus helping ameliorate some of the large-scale losses of seagrasses that have occurred globally.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Análisis de la Restauración de un Espacios Degradado en el Sur de la Comunidad de Madrid
Abstract:This book examines a case study in the Community of Madrid: Bosque Sur, a restoration project that has enabled a significant area of unused and degraded lands in municipalities in the south of the Madrid region to be turned into a large peri-urban park designed for public amenity and recreational use. A comprehensive analysis of this project opens the door to a broader and more evidence-based understanding of ecological restoration and government-led environmental measures.
Resource Type:BookPublication Date: 2010
Biomanipulation: A Useful Tool for Wetland Rehabilitation
Abstract:Food web manipulation, or biomanipulation, is a frequently applied lake management tool, aiming to restore water quality and vegetation characteristics through interventions in the fish communities. Despite the strong management appeal of biomanipulations, this tool found so far little application in wetlands. This chapter highlights pros and cons of biomanipulations in wetlands, and suggests that an extension of the current biomanipulation paradigm beyond fish management, to consider interventions in other components of wetland communities, can be useful for rehabilitating degraded wetlands such as Las Tablas de Daimiel.
Resource Type:BookPublication Date: 2010
he Restoration of Nature in Japan: A Challenge to Ecological Engineering
Abstract:The book describes in great detail a multitude of community-based projects run by engineers and biologists. These projects, carried out mostly on public lands, in general seem more concerned with ecological engineering than with ecological restoration. Conservation of biological diversity in the context of a social movement seeking development of a new relation between society and nature is the driver of these projects, which is also the case for the restoration movement in North America. The primary motivation of several of the case studies presented is the engineered creation of habitat for particular species (e.g., giant salamanders [Andrias japonicas] and Japanese Golden Eagles [Aquila chrysaetos japonica]) or the reconnection and enhancement of habitat for wild animals. Maintaining particular types of cultural landscapes, such as managed woodlands or traditional rice fields, in close proximity to cities is also discussed as is the challenge of restoring areas of “primeval nature” in national parks and controlling nonnative organisms.
Resource Type:BookPublication Date: 2010
Rainforest Restoration Manual for South-Eastern Australia
Abstract:The manual presents detailed restoration methods in 10 easy-to-follow steps, documenting the research and trials undertaken during rainforest restoration over more than two decades. These experiments and their results will empower readers to uncover answers to many of the problems they could encounter. The manual is supported by a CD that provides important background information, with 32 appendices, a propagation manual for the region’s 735 rainforest plants, an illustrated glossary and resources for teachers. Species lists and specific planting guides are provided for the 57 rainforest floristic communities that occur from the coast to the mountains between Durras Mountain in New South Wales and the Otways in Victoria.
Resource Type:BookPublication Date: 2010
Reforesting Landscapes: Linking Pattern and Process
Abstract:This edited volume draws together research from leading researchers to explore reforestation and forest regrowth across the world, from multiple dimensions – including ecosystem services, protected areas, social institutions, economic transitions, remediation of environmental problems, conservation and land abandonment – and at different scales. Detailing the methods and analyses used from across a wide range of disciplines, and incorporating research from North, South and Central America, Africa, Asia and Europe, this groundbreaking book provides a global overview of current trends, explores their underlying causes and proposes future forest trajectories.
Resource Type:BookPublication Date: 2010