©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.
How can We Effectively Restore Species Richness and Natural Composition of a Molinia- invaded Fen?
Abstract:Calcareous fens are among the most threatened and declining ecosystems throughout Europe and act as refugia for many endangered species. Traditionally, calcareous fens were mown but many of them have been abandoned and invaded by Molinia. This has led to changes in species composition, heavy loss in species diversity and a decrease in bryophyte cover. Fen restoration is complicated by an effective nutrient uptake and utilization of Molinia. Experimental tests of the effects of litter removal and different mowing regimes on restoration success are needed together with studies that compare the responses of different taxonomical groups. Molinia- invaded fen vegetation can be restored through intensive mowing. We recommend twice-a- year mowing instead of traditional late annual mowing as an initial restoration measure. Since the effect of the standing Molinia crop in our long-abandoned fen turned out to be more detrimental to other plants than accumulated litter, we do not recommend any management that is based on litter removal rather than mowing.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Identifying Cost-effective Hotspots for Restoring Natural Capital and Enhancing Landscape Multifunctionality
Abstract:Much effort is expended toward planning for conservation, natural resource management and sustainable land use in agricultural landscapes. Although often not explicitly stated, the aims of these efforts are often to restore natural capital for the provision of ecosystem services and stimulate multifunctionality in landscapes. However, the scarcity of resources for, and the potential economic impact of, ameliorative actions that restore natural capital necessitates the identification of cost-effective geographic priorities, or hotspots, which provide multiple ecosystem goods and services. This requires the integrated spatial modelling of multiple environmental and economic processes accompanied by clear goals and performance indicators. Identification of hotspots provides guidance for highly targeted land use change that cost-effectively adds to the stocks of natural capital in a landscape.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Impact of China’s Grain for Green Project on the Landscape of Vulnerable Arid and Semi-arid Agricultural Regions: A Case Study in Northern Shaanxi Province
Abstract:In practical terms, the destruction of natural vegetation cover during afforestation should be avoided, as this makes the soil surface more vulnerable to erosion and reduces species diversity. Managers should reduce the intensity of farming and grazing on fragile land rather than relying on afforestation as the primary tool for ecological restoration in arid and semi-arid areas. Afforestation remains a valuable tool but should be limited to the planting of native or other species that will not exacerbate soil water shortages such as stable communities of natural desert steppe, maximum water-use efficiency dwarf shrubs, and possibly even lichen species in more severely degraded environments.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Impact of Eco-Restoration on the Biodiversity of Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem, India
Abstract:A comprehensive study on biodiversity and environmental characteristics of three different selected study sites located on different estuarine networks viz. Matla, Saptamukhi, and Hooghly on eastern, central, and western regions, having different environmental features of Sundarbans Mangrove Ecosystem, India, a World Heritage Site, was conducted through six seasons of consecutive 2 years. The different sites understudy have shown variable species composition. Special emphasis was made to record the population structure of benthic fauna, which exhibited maximum density during pre-monsoon followed by monsoon and post- monsoon.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Impacts of Cattle on Ecological Restoration of Coastal Forests in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Abstract:Livestock from communities bordered by dune mining, urban areas and commercial forestry in northern KwaZulu-Natal spend substantial time foraging in the coastal forest that the mining company is obliged to restore. A survey of livestock owners and an experimental study of impacts of cattle on restoration processes were conducted to develop better knowledge of the perceptions of livestock owners neighbouring the mine, and the impacts of their cattle on rehabilitating coastal dune forest. Shortages of grazing and livestock diseases were perceived to be the major constraints on livestock operations. The study concluded that: (1) the proximity of livestock owners to large-scale commercial land uses influenced their perceptions and their resources, and (2) grazing and trampling by cattle in the rehabilitating dune forest may hinder the ecological restoration process.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Indigenous Knowledge of Nyishi Tribes on Traditional Agroforestry Systems
Abstract:The ethno-botanically important species in traditional agroforests of Nyishi community of Arunachal Pradesh, India, was studied during the year 2004-2005. The plants used by the local people for food, medicine and other ethnobotanical purposes including the utilization and related ethnobotanical aspects were assessed during the survey. A total of 80 useful plants belonging to 45 families and 69 genera were collected from 20 randomly selected agroforestry plots. Of the plants documented under 10 major categories, 47 species are used for food, 21 species are used in medicine and 35 species are used for other purposes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Indirect Effects of Invasive Species Removal Devastate World Heritage Island
Abstract:Owing to the detrimental impacts of invasive alien species, their control is often a priority for conservation management. Whereas the potential for unforeseen consequences of management is recognized, their associated complexity and costs are less widely appreciated. Our results highlight an important lesson for conservation agencies working to eradicate invasive species globally; that is, risk assessment of management interventions must explicitly consider and plan for their indirect effects, or face substantial subsequent costs. On Macquarie Island, the cost of further conservation action will exceed AU$24 million.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Institutional Dimensions of Payments for Ecosystem Services: An Analysis of Mexico’s Carbon Forestry Programme
Abstract:From a performance point of view, the paper shows that the programme has been well received by rural communities, and carbon payments have contributed to increase household income and to enhance forest management practices and organisational skills. The paper also highlights sources of institutional interplay with local institutions and international climate policy, and it reveals the importance of capacity and scale issues in securing an effective and fair implementation of PES. The conclusion provides some policy recommendations for the future development of PES initiatives in Mexico and elsewhere.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Integrated Constructed Wetlands (ICW) for Livestock Wastewater Management
Abstract:Social, economic and environmental coherence is sought in the management of livestock wastewater. Wetlands facilitate the biogeochemical processes that exploit livestock wastewater and provide opportunities to achieve such coherence and also to deliver on a range of ecosystem services. The Integrated Constructed Wetland (ICW) concept integrates three inextricably linked objectives: water quantity and quality management, landscape-fit to improve aesthetic site values and enhanced biodiversity. The synergies derived from this explicit integration allow one of the key challenges for livestock management to be addressed. An example utilizing twelve ICW systems from a catchment on the south coast of Ireland demonstrates that over an eight year period mean reduction of total and soluble phosphorus (molybdate reactive phosphorus) exceeded 95% and the mean removal of ammonium-N exceeded 98%. This paper reviews evidence regarding the capacity of ICWs to provide a coherent and sustainable alternative to conventional systems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Lacandon Maya Ecosystem Management: Sustainable Design for Subsistence and Environmental Restoration
Abstract:The effects on biodiversity and soil ecology coupled with productivity for agricultural subsistence indicate that Lacandon TEK may offer tools for environmental conservation that would provide for a family’s basic needs while maintaining a biodiverse rain forest ecosystem. Tools such as these may offer options for regional restoration and conservation efforts such as the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Mexico and Central America, where attainment of environmental goals must include methods to provide resources to local inhabitants.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Large Predators and Trophic Cascades in Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Western United States
Abstract:Herein we synthesize outcomes of recent tri-trophic cascades studies involving the presence and absence of large predators for five national parks in the western United States, including Olympic, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, and Wind Cave. Where ungulates have significantly altered native plant communities in the absence of large predators, restoration of native flora is urgently needed to recover former ecosystem services. Following the reintroduction of previously extirpated gray wolves Canis lupus into Yellowstone National Park, a spatially patchy recovery of woody browse species (e.g., aspen Populus tremuloides, willow Salix spp., cottonwood Populus spp.) has begun, indicating that large predator recovery may represent an important restoration strategy for ecosystems degraded by wild ungulates.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Lowland Heaths: Ecology, History, Restoration and Management
Abstract:This publication, which draws together the final threads of the conference, represents the emergence of a new and positive era for lowland heaths across a much wider landscape than hitherto has been the case. In discussions on climate change and carbon sequestration, on flood and drought and positive water management, on rural economic renaissance and tourism, on post-industrial restoration and urban commons, and in terms of nature conservation and biodiversity, these are rich landscapes with much to offer.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Modeling Multiple Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity Conservation, Commodity Production, and Tradeoffs at Landscape Scales
Abstract:We use a spatially explicit modeling tool, Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST), to predict changes in ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, and commodity production levels. We apply InVEST to stakeholder-defined scenarios of land-use/land-cover change in the Willamette Basin, Oregon. We found that scenarios that received high scores for a variety of ecosystem services also had high scores for biodiversity, suggesting there is little tradeoff between biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Scenarios involving more development had higher commodity production values, but lower levels of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. However, including payments for carbon sequestration alleviates this tradeoff. Quantifying ecosystem services in a spatially explicit manner, and analyzing tradeoffs between them, can help to make natural resource decisions more effective, efficient, and defensible.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Multiscale Analysis of Restoration Priorities for Marine Shoreline Planning
Abstract:This study documents an approach to determining the management strategy most likely to succeed based on current conditions at local and landscape scales. The conceptual framework based in restoration ecology pairs appropriate restoration strategies with sites based on the likelihood of producing long-term resilience given the condition of ecosystem structures and processes at three scales: the shorezone unit (site), the drift cell reach (nearshore marine landscape), and the watershed (terrestrial landscape). The analysis is structured by a conceptual ecosystem model that identifies anthropogenic impacts on targeted ecosystem functions. A scoring system, weighted by geomorphic class, is applied to available spatial data for indicators of stress and function using geographic information systems. This planning tool augments other approaches to prioritizing restoration, including historical conditions and change analysis and ecosystem valuation.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Novel Ecosystems: Implications for Conservation and Restoration
Abstract:Many ecosystems are rapidly being transformed into new, non-historical configurations owing to a variety of local and global changes. We discuss how new systems can arise in the face of primarily biotic change (extinction and/or invasion), primarily abiotic change (e.g. land use or climate change) and a combination of both. Some changes will result in hybrid systems retaining some original characteristics as well as novel elements, whereas larger changes will result in novel systems, which comprise different species, interactions and functions. We suggest that these novel systems will require significant revision of conservation and restoration norms and practices away from the traditional place-based focus on existing or historical assemblages.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Optimal Adaptive Management for the Translocation of a Threatened Species
Abstract:Active adaptive management (AAM) is an approach to wildlife management that acknowledges our imperfect understanding of natural systems and allows for some resolution of our uncertainty. Such learning may be characterized by risky strategies in the short term. Experimentation is only considered acceptable if it is expected to be repaid by increased returns in the long term, generated by an improved understanding of the system. By setting AAM problems within a decision theory framework, we can find this optimal balance between achieving our objectives in the short term and learning for the long term. We apply this approach to managing the translocation of the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata), an endangered species from Queensland, Australia.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan: Mangrove Restoration & Coral Transplantation Project
Abstract:Integrated management of coastal zones appears to be the most appropriate tool for the sustained development of this eco-social system, because it reconciles development with the good ecological health of the resources, and links environmental, social, and economic issues. The area of Gulf of Kutch has already been proposed for demarcation for the ICZM Activities. This Report includes the Detailed Project Report of Component – A, Coastal Resources Conservation and Management for the preparation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan (ICZM) for the State of Gujarat.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Protecting and Restoring Wetlands: A Guide for Land Trusts
Abstract:This guide has been written to help land trusts protect and restore wetlands and related aquatic and riparian ecosystems. References are provided to land trust websites for readers who wish more detailed information.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Realising REDD+: National Strategy and Policy Options
Abstract:This book seeks to answer these questions by examining what REDD+ at the national level might look like in four areas: institutions and processes to build the REDD+ framework, broad policy reforms to enable REDD+ implementation, sectoral policies to change incentives, and demonstration activities to test and learn from different approaches. There are no ‘one size fits all’ recommendations. Most chapters present a menu of options and discuss their merits in terms of their climate effectiveness, cost efficiency and equity outcomes, in addition to their generation of co-benefits: biodiversity and other environmental services, poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods, governance and rights, and climate change adaptation.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Rehabilitation of the Mau Forest Ecosystem
Abstract:This Project Concept identifies key priority interventions to be undertaken by GoK in line with the Task Force recommendations to restore the Mau forest ecosystem and provide a sustainable basis for future conservation and management of this vital resource. The sustainability of the ecosystem will be secured by moving the Mau Forests Complex from a single-asset system, where timber extraction, charcoal and human settlements are seen as the only real value of the forest, to a multiple -asset approach, which recognizes the wide variety of values of the ecosystem and diversifies revenue streams by capitalizing on most, if not all, of the ecosystem values, thereby maximizing both conservation and economic returns on the investment. This diversified approach will result in additional non -monetary benefits such as: water sources, biodiversity protection, improved relations among local communities and with other stakeholders, land appreciation, risk reduction and positive public relations. This approach will assist in setting and promoting new standards and models for the sustainable management of other critical forest ecosystems.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Restauracio_n de Ecosistemas Forestales: Gui_a Ba_sica para Comunicadores
Abstract:La presente gui_a para comunicadores sobre Restauracio_n de ecosistemas forestales contiene los conceptos ba_sicos para comprender la complejidad de las acciones que inciden en la recuperacio_n de las funciones ecosiste_micas, las estrategias para lograrlo, la operacio_n actual de las tareas de restauracio_n, asi_ como algunos casos que dan ejemplo de los resultados que se pueden alcanzar en esta materia.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Ecological restoration and rare species management in response to climate change
Abstract:This Policy Position Statement outlines the critical role of ecological restoration in safeguarding rare, endangered, and endemic species amid the uncertainties of climate change. It discusses the ways in which restoration can be used alongside other management strategies to improve species’ resilience by increasing habitat area, reconnecting fragmented landscapes, and improving both ecosystem function and structural complexity at the landscape scale.
Resource Type:White PaperPublication Date: 2009
Atlantic Coral Reefs: The Transplantation Alternative
Abstract:It is suggested that a recovery could be achieved through transplantation of corals and other reef species from areas where more diverse, relatively stable ecosystems still exist. Available data on the introduction of exotic species into marine ecosystems indicate that such species are generally accommodated and do not cause extinctions among the native species.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Biodiversity in Forest Carbon Sequestration Initiatives: Not Just a Side Benefit
Abstract:One way of mitigating global climate change is protecting and enhancing biosphere carbon stocks. The success of mitigation initiatives depends on the long-term net balance between carbon gains and losses. The biodiversity of ecological communities, including composition and variability of traits of plants and soil organisms, can alter this balance in several ways. This influence can be direct, through determining the magnitude, turnover rate, and longevity of carbon stocks in soil and vegetation. It can also be indirect through influencing the value and therefore the protection that societies give to ecosystems and their carbon stocks. Biodiversity of forested ecosystems has important consequences for long-term carbon storage, and thus warrants incorporation into the design, implementation, and regulatory framework of mitigation initiatives.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Can Soil Seed Banks Contribute to the Restoration of Dune Slacks under Conservation Management?
Abstract:Does the soil seed bank resemble the former early successional stages of a dune slack system more than the established later successional vegetation? Does it have the potential to contribute to the conservation of a highly endangered habitat? The soil seed bank can be expected to contribute to vegetation change after disturbance. Stimulation of germination from the seed bank through management may contribute to the conservation of both characteristic and threatened species typical of dune slacks.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Carbon Offsets as Ecological Restorations
Abstract:A variety of reforms are needed to ensure that biosequestration projects deliver real, additional, and permanent removals of carbon dioxide. In particular, developing and adopting social and environmental impact assessment tools, changing accounting practices to allow for natural disturbances, universal adoption of strong additionality testing, and supporting critical research through tonnage fees could substantially improve what is accomplished through carbon offsets. Given the magnitude and importance of what carbon markets are attempting to achieve, insights from restoration ecologists are urgently needed to help shape their future.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Climate Change and Plant Invasions: Restoration Opportunities Ahead?
Abstract:Rather than simply enhancing invasion risk, climate change may also reduce invasive plant competitiveness if conditions become climatically unsuitable. Using bioclimatic envelope modeling, we show that climate change could result in both range expansion and contraction for five widespread and dominant invasive plants in the western United States. Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) and tamarisk (Tamarix spp.) are likely to expand with climate change. Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) are likely to shift in range, leading to both expansion and contraction. Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is likely to contract. The retreat of once intractable invasive species could create restoration opportunities across millions of hectares. Identifying and establishing native or novel species in places where invasive species contract will pose a considerable challenge for ecologists and land managers. This challenge must be addressed before other undesirable species invade and eliminate restoration opportunities.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Constructed Wetlands in China: Recent Developments and Future Challenges
Abstract:Constructed wetlands (CWs) are an emerging, environmentally friendly engineering system employed in China. They require lower investment and operation costs while providing higher treatment efficiency and more ecosystem services than conventional wastewater treatment methods. Introduced to China in 1987, CW systems used for wastewater treatment have rapidly increased in number, particularly since the late 1990s. This review summarizes the state-of-the- art application of CW systems for water pollution treatment by reviewing the basics of the technology and its historical development and performance efficiency. Current progress, limitations, future concerns, and the challenges of CW technologies are also discussed. Also highlighted is the need for sufficient and appropriate data to assist in the further development of CW systems and the implementation of integrated “bottom-up” and “top-down” approaches by both the public in general and government bodies in particular.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Contemporary Approaches for Small-scale Oyster Reef Restoration to Address Substrate versus Recruitment Limitation
Abstract:This paper was originally presented at the first West Coast Restoration Workshop in 2006 in San Rafael, California and is intended to summarize potential approaches for small-scale restoration projects, including some emerging methods, and highlight the logistical benefits and limitations of these approaches. Because the majority of the past efforts have been with C. viriginica, we use those examples initially to highlight efforts with the intent of enlightening current west coast United States efforts with Ostrea lurida. We also discuss site-specific characteristics including ‘‘recruitment bottlenecks’’ and ‘‘substrate limitation’’ as criteria for identifying the most appropriate approaches to use for small-scale restoration projects. Many of the included ‘‘lessons-learned’’ from the smaller-scale restoration projects being implemented today can be used to inform not only large-scale estuary wide efforts to restore C. virginica, but also the relatively nascent efforts directed at restoring the United States west coast’s native Olympia oyster, Ostrea lurida.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009
Coral Reef Restoration and Artificial Reef Management, Future and Economic
Abstract:On a global scale, the value of the total economic goods and services provided by coral reefs have been estimated to be US$375 billion per year with most of this coming from recreation, sea defence services and food production, this equates to an average value of around US$6,075 per hectare of coral reef per year. Degradation of reefs means the loss of these economic goods and services, and the loss of food security and employment for coastal peoples, many of them in developing countries and many of them living in poverty. In a healthy reef system which has not been physically damaged, an impacted area might be expected to recover naturally to its pre-disturbance state along a successional trajectory. If degradation is sufficiently severe or spatially extensive, then active restoration e.g. transplantation, in combination with management actions to reduce anthropogenic stress are necessary. Recoverability depends on the stressor, the impacted species/community and the temporal and spatial intensities of the stressor.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2009