©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.
The Importance of Plant Provenance and Genotypic Diversity of Seed Material Used for Ecological Restoration
Abstract:The increased translocation of plant species for biodiversity restoration and habitat creation has provoked a debate on provenance and genotypic diversity of the used plant material. Nonlocal provenances are often not adapted to the local environmental conditions, and low population genotypic diversity may result in genetic bottlenecks hampering successful establishment. We tested provenance differentiation of four plant species used in agri- environment schemes to increase biodiversity of agricultural landscapes (wildflower strips).
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Potential of Birch Afforestation as an After-Use Option for Industrial Cutaway Peatlands
Abstract:In the next few decades, industrial peat extraction will cease gradually over more than 80,000 hectares of cutaway peatlands in Ireland and alternative land uses will change the landscape of these areas. This study showed that substantial natural regeneration of downy birch (Betula pubescens) can occur on abandoned as well as cutaway peatlands afforested with conifers.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Potential of Earthworms to Restore Ecosystem Services after Opencast Mining: A Review
Abstract:Among the potential species that are likely to be important early in mine land restoration, earthworms are particularly good candidates. They provide several ecosystem services that are likely to accelerate soil restoration, improve primary production and facilitate the restoration of a functional ecosystem in mining areas. These services include the following: increase in topsoil fertility, food for a wide range of predators and recycling of waste organic materials on rehabilitated areas. Here, we outline some of the challenges specifically facing opencast mining restoration and describe how the ecosystem services provided by earthworms may address some of these challenges.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Road to Sustainability Must Bridge Three Great Divides
Abstract:We argue here that this disconnection between our knowledge and our actions is largely caused by three “great divides”: an ideological divide between economists and ecologists; an economic development divide between the rich and the poor; and an information divide, which obstructs communications between scientists, public opinion, and policymakers. These divides prevent our economies from responding effectively to urgent signals of environmental and ecological stress. The restoration of natural capital (RNC) can be an important strategy in bridging all of these divides.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Role of Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Land-Use Legacies in Restoration of a Temperate Steppe in Northern China
Abstract:Plant–soil feedbacks affect plant performance and plant community dynamics; however, little is known about their role in ecological restoration. Here, we studied plant–soil feedbacks in restoration of steppe vegetation after agricultural disturbance in northern China. We conclude that the occurrence of positive land-use legacies for old-field species may retard successional replacement of old-field species by steppe species. However, high levels of idiosyncrasy in responses of old-field and steppe plant species to con- and heterospecific soils indicate interspecific variation in the extent to which soil legacies and plant–soil feedbacks control successional species replacements in Chinese steppe ecosystems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Unknown Trajectory of Forest Restoration: A Call for Ecosystem Monitoring
Abstract:Restoration of forest ecosystems is a common objective of land managers throughout the western United States. Unfortunately, limited federal funding and a lack of specific enforcement of existing regulations has resulted in a lack of effectiveness monitoring (monitoring that provides information on the successes and impacts of the activity or project) after forest restoration activities on federal lands, thus inhibiting learning about, and improving the success of, restoration efforts. Monitoring could potentially be conducted on limited federal budgets through use of (1) multiparty teams composed of volunteers on a portion of restoration sites, (2) a statistical sampling strategy on a limited set of sites for intensive monitoring by federal monitoring teams, and (3) remote sensing to monitor a select set of variables across a broad portion of the affected landscape.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
The Use of Extant Non-Indigenous Tortoises as a Restoration Tool to Replace Extinct Ecosystem Engineers
Abstract:We argue that the introduction of non-native extant tortoises as ecological replacements for extinct giant tortoises is a realistic restoration management scheme, which is easy to implement. This case study further highlights the feasibility, versatility and low-risk nature of using tortoises in restoration programs, with particular reference to their introduction to island ecosystems. Overall, the use of extant tortoises as replacements for extinct ones is a good example of how conservation and restoration biology concepts applied at a smaller scale can be microcosms for more grandiose schemes and addresses more immediate conservation priorities than large-scale ecosystem rewilding projects.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Traits, Neighbors, and Species Performance in Prairie Restoration
Abstract:Are traits related to the performance of plant species in restoration? Are the relationships between traits and performance consistent across the functional groups of annual forbs, perennial forbs and grasses? Do the relationships between traits and performance depend on neighboring functional groups? Multiple-trait models should be a useful way of predicting the performance of species prior to sowing in restoration. The functional group identity of each species and the other species being sown may need to be taken into account when making predictions.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Understanding the Value of Local Ecological Knowledge and Practices for Habitat Restoration in Human-Altered Floodplain Systems: A Case from Bangladesh
Abstract:The results of the study indicate that the fishers and local users of the floodplain ecosystems are rich in local ecological knowledge concerning the hydrology of the floodplains and small lakes, the habitat preferences of fish, the role of agricultural crops on fish habitats, and the impact of habitat human interventions in aquatic ecosystems. Given the apparent inadequacy of the present management regime, this article argues for an inclusion of local knowledge and practices into habitat management as a more holistic approach to floodplain habitat restoration and conservation that encourages multi-level cooperation and which builds on diversified knowledge systems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Valuing Ecosystem Services from Wetlands Restoration in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Abstract:This study assesses the value of restoring forested wetlands via the U.S. government’s Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley by quantifying and monetizing ecosystem services. The three focal services are greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, nitrogen mitigation, and waterfowl recreation. Site- and region-level measurements of these ecosystem services are combined with process models to quantify their production on agricultural land, which serves as the baseline, and on restored wetlands. We adjust and transform these measures into per-hectare, valuation-ready units and monetize them with prices from emerging ecosystem markets and the environmental economics literature. By valuing three of the many ecosystem services produced, we generate lower bound estimates for the total ecosystem value of the wetlands restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Valuing Ecosystem Services: Theory, Practice, and the Need for a Transdisciplinary Synthesis
Abstract:Ecosystem services valuation (ESV) is the method to tackle such a challenge. ESV is the process of assessing the contributions of ecosystem services to sustainable scale, fair distribution, and efficient allocation. It is a tool that (1) provides for comparisons of natural capital to physical and human capital in regard to their contributions to human welfare; (2) monitors the quantity and quality of natural capital over time with respect to its contribution to human welfare; and (3) provides for evaluation of projects that will affect natural capital stocks.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Alternative Approaches to Afforestation
Abstract:The purpose of this discussion paper therefore is to gather information related to both conventional and more recently applied afforestation approaches, and provide it in a format that will assist managers in developing restoration strategies for specific sites and objectives. The information assembled here is intended primarily for practitioners, the technical staff who are implementing field programs. It should also assist those who work at a policy level making considerations of program delivery and focusing at a broader scale.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2010
Assessing Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems: Workbook for Practitioners
Abstract:The recently updated workbook for practitioners uses strategic questions and activities to guide in constructing a conceptual model of a social-ecological system – a place along with its associated resources, stakeholders, institutions, and issues. Building on the model, the assessment aids in identifying potential thresholds between alternative systems states and helps reveal what is contributing to or eroding resilience. A resilience assessment can thus provide insight into developing strategies for buffering or coping with both known and unexpected change.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2010
Assessing the Potential for Reintroducing the Cheetah in India
Abstract:In this report we assess 10 sites from seven landscapes located in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, for their potential to harbour viable reintroduced cheetah populations. We conduct field surveys to collect data on prey abundances, local community dependencies on forest resources and their attitudes towards wildlife, and use remotely sensed data to assess habitat size. We compute current and potential carrying capacity of the sites to support cheetah as well as assess the long-term viability of the introduced population, using Population Habitat Viability Analysis.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2010
CERP Adaptive Management Integration Guide
Abstract:The CERP Adaptive Management Integration Guide (Guide) was designed to help CERP project teams, managers, scientists, and other stakeholders understand and integrate adaptive management to make sound, collaborative decisions. The Guide is designed to be a more detailed companion document to the Adaptive Management Strategy. The Guide describes how to apply adaptive management to the CERP program and its related projects by identifying key uncertainties and incorporating adaptive management activities into existing CERP planning and implementation processes. The CERP Adaptive Management Strategy provides a high-level framework for the application of adaptive management to Everglades restoration.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2010
Fire as a Restoration Tool: A Decision Framework for Predicting the Control or Enhancement of Plants Using Fire
Abstract:We provide a decision framework that integrates fire regime components, plant growth form, and survival attributes to predict how plants will respond to fires and how fires can be prescribed to enhance the likelihood of obtaining desired plant responses. Fires are driven by biotic and abiotic factors that dictate their temporal (seasonality and frequency), spatial (size and patchiness), and magnitude (intensity, severity, and type) components. Plant resistance and resilience to fire can be categorized by a combination of life form, size, and ability to disperse or protect seeds. We use a combination of life form and vital plant attributes along with an understanding of fire regime components to suggest a straightforward way to approach the use of fire to either reduce or enhance particular species.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Forest Restoration in a Mixed-Ownership Landscape under Climate Change
Abstract:We used a spatially explicit forest ecosystem model, LANDIS-II, to simulate the interaction of climate change and forest management in northeastern Minnesota, USA. We assessed the relevance of restoration strategies and conservation targets based on the RNV in the context of future climate change. Three climate scenarios (no climate change, low emissions, and high emissions) were simulated with three forest management scenarios: no harvest, current management, and a restoration-based approach where harvest activity mimicked the frequency, severity, and size distribution of historic natural disturbance regimes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
From Scientific Speculation to Effective Adaptive Management: A Case Study of the Role of Social Marketing in Promoting Novel Restoration Strategies for Degraded Dry Lands
Abstract:This article focuses on the role of social marketing, in particular the analysis of the motivations and capabilities of stakeholder groups, in encouraging acceptance of an innovative experimental approach to semiarid shrub land restoration in Chile. Controlled scientific experiments involving herbivory control during El Nin_o events have proved promising, but have not yet been introduced into ecosystem management approaches. Social marketing, as a lens for focusing on and understanding stakeholders’ motivations, provides a valuable framework in which strategies may be developed for diffusing promising scientific experiments into regional management contexts.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Functional Differences between Native and Alien Species: A Global-scale Comparison
Abstract:A prevalent question in the study of plant invasions has been whether or not invasions can be explained on the basis of traits. Despite many attempts, a synthetic view of multi-trait differences between alien and native species is not yet available. We compiled a database of three ecologically important traits (specific leaf area, typical maximum canopy height, individual seed mass) for 4473 species sampled over 95 communities (3784 species measured in their native range, 689 species in their introduced range, 207 in both ranges). We conclude that the simultaneous evaluation of multiple traits is an important novel direction in understanding invasion success. Our results support the phenotypic divergence hypothesis that predicts functional trait differences contribute to the success of alien species.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Germinable Soil Seed Banks and the Restoration Potential of Abandoned Cropland on the Chinese Hilly-Gullied Loess Plateau
Abstract:It has been argued that tree planting restoration is ineffective, and natural re-vegetation is an alternative ecological solution for restoring abandoned cropland and controlling soil erosion. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of soil seed banks and to assess the natural restoration potential of abandoned cropland in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau. The combination of soil seed bank characteristics, reproductive traits of the species, the specific landscape conditions indicates that the potential to restoring the abandoned croplands in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau via natural re-vegetation could be substantial.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Guidelines, Processes and Tools for Coastal Ecosystem Restoration, with Examples from the United States
Abstract:This paper presents a systematic approach to coastal restoration projects with five components: planning, implementation, performance assessment, adaptive management, and dissemination of results. Typical features of the iterative planning process are synthesized, beginning with a vision, a description of the ecosystem and landscape, and goals. The conceptual model and planning objectives are developed, prioritization techniques are used for site selection, and numerical models contribute to preliminary designs as needed. Within the planning process, cost analysis involves budgeting, scheduling, and financing. Performance criteria and reference sites are selected during design of the monitoring program. Particular emphasis is given to the monitoring program, used as a tool to assess project performance and identify problems affecting progression toward project goals, within an adaptive management framework. Key approaches to aspects of the monitoring program are reviewed and detailed with project examples.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Habitat Analogues for Reconciliation Ecology in Urban and Industrial Environments
Abstract:Identifying analogous habitats and ecosystems could enhance biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services in anthropogenic environments. Abiotic and biotic differences between artificial analogues and natural systems can be frequently overcome by ecological engineering to make the environment more suitable for native biodiversity, and/or assisted dispersal to allow suitable native organisms to reach appropriate sites within artificial ecosystems. Altering some habitats to become less analogous may help reduce impacts of pest species in urban and industrial areas.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
How Understanding Aboveground–Belowground Linkages can Assist Restoration Ecology
Abstract:The topic of aboveground–belowground linkages has seen much recent activity, resulting in several conceptual advances regarding plant–soil feedbacks, multitrophic interactions, and how organisms drive ecosystem processes. Although restoration ecology has been rapidly evolving as a scientific discipline, the principles that have developed regarding aboveground– belowground linkages have yet to be thoroughly integrated into it. In this review, we conceptually integrate the role of aboveground–belowground linkages with the principles of restoration ecology through a framework that transcends multiple levels of ecological organization, and illustrate its application through three examples: restoration of abandoned land, reversal of biological invasions, and restoration of natural disturbances. We conclude that this integration can greatly assist restoration ecology, through aiding identification of effective invention practices and prediction of ecosystem recovery.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Hurricanes, Floods, Levees, and Nutria: Vegetation Responses to Interacting Disturbance and Fertility Regimes with Implications for Coastal Wetland Restoration
Abstract:A primary cause of wetland loss in the Louisiana coastal zone has been the construction of flood control levees along the Mississippi River. These levees restrict the inputs of freshwater, nutrients, and sediment that historically replenished these wetlands. Wetland loss is compounded by other factors such as storms, introduced herbivores, and saltwater intrusion. How do such simultaneous changes in fertility and disturbance regimes affect the vegetation of coastal wetlands? Will proposed restoration strategies, such as freshwater diversions and protection from herbivores, increase the productivity and accretion rates of coastal wetlands without sacrificing plant species diversity?
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Hydrologic Restoration in the Urban Environment Using Green Roofs
Abstract:Loss of natural soil and vegetation within the urban environment can significantly affect the hydrologic cycle by increasing storm water runoff rates and volumes. In order to mitigate these modifications in urban areas engineered systems are developed, such as green roofs, to mimic and replace functions (evapo-transpiration, infiltration, percolation) which have been altered due to the impact of human development. Green roofs, also known as vegetated roof covers, eco-roofs or nature roofs, are composite complex layered structures with specific environmental benefits.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Hydrological Self-regulation of Domed Peatlands in South-east Asia and Consequences for Conservation and Restoration
Abstract:This article explores the hydrological constraints on the existence of forested peat domes (peat swamp forests) in the humid tropics, the self-regulation mechanisms that enable them to persist and the implications for restoration of damaged domes. The most important requirement for the preservation of peat is permanent saturation by water. The variable input of precipitation must be translated into a constant water supply to the peat mound.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
In Situ Burning Restores the Ecological Function and Structure of an Oil-Impacted Coastal Marsh
Abstract:As the use of in situ burning for oil spill remediation in coastal wetlands accelerates, the capacity of this procedure to restore the ecological structure and function of oil-impacted wetlands becomes increasingly important. Thus, our research focused on evaluating the functional and structural recovery of a coastal marsh in South Louisiana to an in situ burn following a Hurricane Katrina-induced oil spill. We conclude that in situ burning is an effective way to remove oil and allow ecosystem recovery in coastal marshes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Innovative Techniques for Large-scale Seagrass Restoration Using Zostera marina (eelgrass) Seeds
Abstract:The use of Zostera marina (eelgrass) seeds for seagrass restoration is increasingly recognized as an alternative to transplanting shoots as losses of seagrass habitat generate interest in large- scale restoration. We explored new techniques for efficient large-scale restoration of Z. marina using seeds by addressing the factors limiting seed collection, processing, survival, and distribution. We tested an existing mechanical harvesting system for expanding the scale of seed collections, and developed and evaluated two new experimental systems. A seeding technique using buoys holding reproductive shoots at restoration sites to eliminate seed storage was tested along with new techniques for reducing seed-processing labor. A series of experiments evaluated storage conditions that maintain viability of seeds during summer storage for fall planting. Finally, a new mechanical seed-planting technique appropriate for large scales was developed and tested.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Inside the “Black Box” of River Restoration: Using Catchment History to Identify Disturbance and Response Mechanisms to Set Targets for Process-Based Restoration
Abstract:Despite a rich literature defining the components of restoration project planning, restoration ecology currently lacks an explicit and logical means of moving from the initial project vision through to on-ground strategies. Yet this process is fundamental because it directly links the ecological goals of the project to the on-ground strategies used to achieve them. We present a planning process that explicitly uses an interdisciplinary mechanistic model of disturbance drivers and system responses to build from the initial project vision to the implementation of on-ground works. A worked example on the Upper Hunter River in southeastern Australia shows how understanding catchment history can reveal disturbance and response mechanisms, thus facilitating process-based restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010
Integrated Planning Framework for Urban River Rehabilitation
Abstract:This paper identifies how the analytical frameworks of the principal URRI participating agencies (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EPA) can be integrated to serve the goals of the URRI in ways that highlight incremental effects on costs and benefits from choosing among alternative plans and presented in a manner enabling collaborators to compare the benefits from different combinations and permutations of all the potential measures for given budgets. The conclusion discusses the contribution of the integrated planning framework to building consensus among federal agencies, nonfederal agencies, and other stakeholders on a URRI implementation plan.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2010