©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.
Geodatabase Development for Forest Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation in the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, Philippines
Abstract:A GIS-based database (or geodatabase) was developed for the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, on Luzon Island, Philippines toward the establishment of a management decision support system. The study presents initial results in the development of a geodatabase, as well as the use of geographic information system (GIS) in the planning, design and implementation of programs for forest renewal and biodiversity conservation. GIS use for data encoding is already extensive but its use as a planning and analytical tool is limited, if not altogether lacking. An outline for the establishment of a geodatabase is presented that will allow processing, analysis and modeling and, ultimately, the sustainable development and conservation of the mountain forest reserve, which is a significant watershed area and an important catchment for Laguna de Bay – the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Germinable Soil Seed Banks in Abandoned Grasslands in Central and Western Norway and their Significance for Restoration
Abstract:There was a separation of the two regions along the first DCA axis in both the seed bank and in the vegetation analysis and also a clear separation of the seed bank from the vegetation along the second axis. These results are caused by differences in former management as well as temperature, precipitation and soil type between Gaular and Orkdal. We found more annuals, short-lived species and species demanding light open conditions in the seed bank than in the vegetation probably because these species have the capacity for producing persistent seeds. Most of the species found only in the seed bank were found in very few samples and with few individuals. These results suggest that it may be difficult to increase vegetation biodiversity through restoration of grasslands such as those investigated if the natural soil seed bank is the main seed source.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Growth Performance of Planted Mangroves in the Philippines: Revisiting Forest Management Strategies
Abstract:This article synthesizes the results from several research projects assessing the performance of planted mangroves across the country. Overall, there is a widespread tendency to plant mangroves in areas that are not the natural habitat of mangroves, converting mudflats, sandflats, and seagrass meadows into often monospecific Rhizophora mangrove forests. From this evidence, this article argues that a more rational focus of the restoration effort should be the replanting of mangroves in the brackish-water aquaculture pond environments, the original habitat of mangroves. For such, a number of management options can be explored, the implementation of which will ultimately depend on the political will of local and national governments.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
In situ Persistence of African Wild Olive and Forest Restoration in Degraded Semiarid Savanna
Abstract:The ability to produce vegetative shoots is a form of persistence in arid and semiarid savannas allowing trees to survive herbivory, fire and cutting. In terms of growth rates and survival, this form of rejuvenation may be more successful than recruitment via seed rain or dormant seeds in the seed bank. For this reason, resprouting could play an important role in the tree canopy and forest microclimate recovery and forest succession. To assess whether coppice growth of Africanwildolive (Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata) should be considered for restoration of dry Afromontane forest, this study investigated olive coppice densities and characteristics in a 100- ha grazing exclosure in northern Ethiopia using random samples and systematic samples along transects. The response to pruning, expected to reactivate a leading shoot and thus contribute to faster tree habit and canopy recovery, was tested as a secondary objective.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Integrating Soil Ecological Knowledge into Restoration Management
Abstract:Here, we propose that the usefulness of this soil ecological knowledge (SEK) for restoration is best considered in the context of the severity of the original perturbation, the goals of the project, and the resilience of the ecosystem to disturbance. A straightforward manipulation of single physical, chemical, or biological components of the soil system can be useful in the restoration of a site, especially when the restoration goal is loosely defined in terms of the species and processes that management seeks to achieve. These single-factor manipulations may in fact produce cascading effects on several ecosystem attributes and can result in unintended recovery trajectories. When complex outcomes are desired, intentional and holistic integration of all aspects of the soil knowledge is necessary. We provide a short roster of examples to illustrate that SEK benefits management and restoration of ecosystems and suggest areas for future research.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Investing in Natural Capital and Economic Development: South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains
Abstract:We describe a proposed large-scale restoration and land use management project planned for a portion of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. Some 250,000 ha of high-lying land in the Drakensberg range are a protected conservation area and also a World Heritage Site. Bordering this conservation enclave is another 250,000 ha of increasingly degraded land subject to a variety of competing land uses. Conflicting land use objectives could, in theory, be mitigated and reconciled by identifying and developing a market for the delivery of ecosystem services such as water use and quality, carbon sequestration, erosion and siltation reduction, combating desertification, and the promotion of biodiversity conservation.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Involving Local Farmers in Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Forests: Some Lessons from Ghana
Abstract:The role of community-based plantation development in forest rehabilitation and poverty alleviation is a pressing issue for the government of Ghana. In this paper, we present an analysis of the prospects of a community-based plantation using taungya systems and indigenous trees as means to forest rehabilitation and livelihood improvement in Ghana. The project management strategies, communication process and incentive mechanism and their impact on local participation are discussed with the aim to recommending a mechanism through which local farmers can best be involved in rehabilitation of degraded sites in the future in Ghana.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Lake Restoration by Fish Removal: Short- and Long-Term Effects in 36 Danish Lakes
Abstract:We conclude that a sufficiently extensive removal of plankti- and benthivorous fish is an efficient tool to create clear water; however, repeated fish removal is presumably required to obtain long-term effects in the most nutrient rich lakes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Lake Restoration Studies: Failures, Bottlenecks and Prospects of New Ecotechnological Measures
Abstract:This paper critically reviews the published works on lake restoration in north-western Europe, with the aim to highlight the causes of failures of lake biomanipulation, and to identify the main bottlenecks that have impeded progress. More importantly, we explore the prospects of applying new ecotechnological measures to lakes with a focus on shallow lakes. These complementary measures are: (1) reduction of sediment resuspension; (2) water-level management; and (3) the use in shallow lakes of bivalves as effective grazers on lake seston, especially when cyanobacteria are dominant.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Learning with Nature: A Sand Dune System Case Study
Abstract:In 2005, after balancing several alternatives, the Leirosa sand dunes were reconstructed with layers of geotextiles filled with sand. Once the sand containers were in place, this protective barrier was covered with sand and planted with A. arenaria, turning this area into an attractive and safe coastal dune system. In March 2006, some problems occurred, probably caused by poor sealing of the geotextiles layers, which led to parts of the three bottom layers breaking open. To stabilize and reinforce the sand dune in this specific weakened area, we are currently analysing the use of geotextile tubes. The attempts to promote the sustainable rehabilitation of a dune system and the implied problems related to its location on a particularly harsh Atlantic coast are discussed in the paper.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Lessons from Primary Succession for Restoration of Severely Damaged Habitats
Abstract:Successional studies benefit restoration in six areas: site amelioration, development of community structure, nutrient dynamics, species life history traits, species interactions, and modeling of transitions and trajectories. Primary succession provides valuable lessons for understanding temporal dynamics through direct, long-term observations on severely disturbed habitats. These lessons assist restoration efforts on infertile or even toxic substrates. Restoration that uses scientific protocols (e.g., control treatments and peer-reviewed publications) can offer insights into successional processes.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Linking Reforestation Policies with Land Use Change in Northern Vietnam: Why Local Factors Matter
Abstract:We use the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework, coupled with an historical perspective and the analysis of actors’ perception and dominant narratives on land management and forests. Results show that national policies significantly interfered with local factors, leading to a complex course of decision-making and action. Substantial reforestation in the area was not a response by farmers to policy incentives but rather the unexpected outcome of the disruption of local institutions by these policies. We argue that, because national interventions have relied on false or exaggerated narratives and beliefs, their implementation is in conflict with the local reality in upland areas, leading to unpredictable and locally dependent outcomes. We defend hence the need for local level studies and also recommend considering local institutions for land use change analysis in contexts where land use systems are characterised by a high degree of human interaction.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Long-term After-effects of Fertilisation on the Restoration of Calcareous Grasslands
Abstract:What are the long-term implications of former fertilisation for the ecological restoration of calcareous grasslands? The effect of artificial fertiliser with a large amount of nitrogen disappears in less than ten years when mown in August, including removal of the hay. This is a promising result for restoration of N-enriched calcareous grasslands, as the applied dose of nitrogen in this experiment largely exceeds the extra input of nitrogen via atmospheric deposition. Application of fertiliser with a large amount of phosphorus, however, has effects even more than 25 years after the last addition. There are no prospects that this effect will become reduced in the near future under the current mowing management.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Macrotermes Mounds as Sites for Tree Regeneration in a Sudanian Woodland
Abstract:The importance of mounds created by Macrotermes subhyalinus as safe site for tree regeneration was analysed in a savannah woodland of Burkina Faso. Plantlets (height <1.5 m) were sampled and followed over an year in 72 x 4 m2 quadrats located on M. subhyalinus mounds and adjacent areas. The mechanisms of regeneration and plantlet mortality were also determined. We identified three regeneration mechanisms: seedlings regenerated by seed (abundant on mounds), sprouts (abundant on adjacent areas) and root suckers (a rare case on both sites). It can thus be concluded that Macrotermes termite mounds are favourable sites for the recruitments of woody plants in savannah woodlands.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Management of Novel Ecosystems: Are Novel Approaches Required?
Abstract:Most ecosystems are now sufficiently altered in structure and function to qualify as novel systems, and this recognition should be the starting point for ecosystem management efforts. Under the emerging biogeochemical configurations, management activities are experiments, blurring the line between basic and applied research. Responses to specific management manipulations are context specific, influenced by the current status or structure of the system, and this necessitates reference areas for management or restoration activities. Attempts to return systems to within their historical range of biotic and abiotic characteristics and processes may not be possible, and management activities directed at removing undesirable features of novel ecosystems may perpetuate or create such ecosystems. Management actions should attempt to maintain genetic and species diversity and encourage the biogeochemical characteristics that favor desirable species. Few resources currently exist to support the addition of proactive measures and rigorous experimental designs to current management activities. The necessary changes will not occur without strong input from stakeholders and policy makers, so rapid information transfer and proactive research–management activities by the scientific community are needed.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Managing Trade-Offs in Landscape Restoration and Revegetation Projects
Abstract:We develop a model of the possibilities and choices for an agency seeking to achieve two environmental objectives in a region through revegetation of a number of sites. A graphical model of the production possibilities sets for a single revegetation project is developed, and different trade-off relationships are discussed and illustrated. Then the model is used to demonstrate the possibilities for managing all such projects within a region. We show that, where there are thresholds in the trade-off relationship between two objectives, specialization (single- or dominant-objective projects) should be considered. This is illustrated using a case study in which revegetation is used to meet avian biodiversity and salinity mitigation objectives. We conclude that where there are sufficient scientific data, explicit consideration of different types of trade-offs can assist in making decisions about the most efficient mix and type of projects to better achieve a range of objectives within a region.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Negative Off-Site Impacts of Ecological Restoration: Understanding and Addressing the Conflict
Abstract:Ecological restoration is a key component of biological conservation. Nevertheless, unlike protection of existing areas, restoration changes existing land use and can therefore be more controversial. Some restoration projects negatively affect surrounding landowners, creating social constraints to restoration success. Just as negative off-site impacts (i.e., negative externalities) flow from industrial areas to natural areas, restoration projects can generate negative externalities for commercial land uses, such as agriculture. Restoration planners should give equal consideration to off-site characteristics as to on-site characteristics when choosing sites for restoration and designing projects. Efforts to control externalities can lead to off-site ecological benefits.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Phytoremediation of Coal Mine Spoil Dump through Integrated Biotechnological Approach
Abstract:Field experiment was conducted on mine spoil dump on an area of 10 ha, to restore the fertility and productivity of the coal mine spoil dump using integrated biotechnological approach. The approach involves use of effluent treatment plant sludge (ETP sludge), as an organic amendment, biofertilizers and mycorrihzal fungi along with suitable plant species. The results of the study indicated that amendment with effluent treatment plant sludge (ETP sludge), @ 50 ton/ha improved the physico-chemical properties of coal mine spoil. Thus, amendment and biofertilizer application provided better supportive material for anchorage and growth of the plant on coal mine spoil dump.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Phytostabilization of Mine Tailings in Arid and Semiarid Environments: An Emerging Remediation Technology
Abstract:Harsh climatic conditions in arid and semiarid environments along with the innate properties of mine tailings require specific considerations. Plants suitable for phytostabilization must be native, be drought-, salt-, and metal-tolerant, and should limit shoot metal accumulation. Factors for evaluating metal accumulation and toxicity issues are presented. Also reviewed are aspects of implementing phytostabilization, including plant growth stage, amendments, irrigation, and evaluation. Phytostabilization of mine tailings is a promising remedial technology but requires further research to identify factors affecting its long-term success by expanding knowledge of suit-able plant species and mine tailings chemistry in ongoing field trials.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Planning Restoration in a Cultural Landscape in Italy Using an Object-based Approach and Historical Analysis
Abstract:We present a proposal for a standardized method to develop restoration practices capable of increasing the efficacy of landscape management and create the necessary bridge between restoration planning and landscape ecology. This methodology was developed in order to identify the reference landscape and to define areas within that landscape that possess different degrees of potential for restoration purposes in a cultural landscape. We utilized retrospective data to compare former ecosystem arrangements, taking into account ecological, spatial and temporal issues, such as historical information on changes in land use, in addition to diachronically analyzed aerial photos taken between 1954 and 2002, using an object-based approach. The test area is a Nature Reserve in Tuscany (Italy) that preserves the cultural landscape of biancane badlands – erosion forms generated on Plio-Pleistocene marine clay outcrops – which is characterized by a high erosion rate.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Beyond Deforestation: Restoring Forests and Ecosystem Services on Degraded Lands
Abstract:Despite continued forest conversion and degradation, forest cover is increasing in countries across the globe. New forests are regenerating on former agricultural land, and forest plantations are being established for commercial and restoration purposes. Plantations and restored forests can improve ecosystem services and enhance biodiversity conservation, but will not match the composition and structure of the original forest cover. Approaches to restoring forest ecosystems depend strongly on levels of forest and soil degradation, residual vegetation, and desired restoration outcomes. Opportunities abound to combine ambitious forest restoration and regeneration goals with sustainable rural livelihoods and community participation. New forests will require adaptive management as dynamic, resilient systems that can withstand stresses of climate change, habitat fragmentation, and other anthropogenic effects.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Can the Seed Bank be Used for Ecological Restoration? An Overview of Seed Bank Characteristics in European Communities
Abstract:Can seeds in the seed bank be considered as a potential source of material for the restoration of European plant communities including forest, marsh, grassland and heathland? The absence of target species and the high dominance of early successional species, in particular Juncus spp., indicate that restoration of target plant communities relying only on seed germination from the seed bank is in most cases not feasible. The exceptions are heathland and early successional plant communities occurring after temporally recurring disturbances. Restoration of plant communities composed of late successional species, such as woody species or herbaceous species typical of woodland or forest rely mainly on seed dispersal and not on in situ germination.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity of Re-growing Miombo Woodlands in Mozambique
Abstract:Land management in tropical woodlands is being used to sequester carbon (C), alleviate poverty and protect biodiversity, among other benefits. Our objective was to determine how slash-and-burn agriculture affected vegetation and soil C stocks and biodiversity on an area of miombo woodland in Mozambique, and how C stocks and biodiversity responded once agriculture was abandoned.We sampled twenty-eight 0.125 ha plots that had previously been cleared for subsistence agriculture and had been left to re-grow for 2 to _25 years, and fourteen 0.25 ha plots of protected woodlands, recording stem diameter distributions and species, collecting wood for density determination, and soil from 0 to 0.3 m for determination of %C and bulk density.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Comparing Ecosystem Goods and Services Provided by Restored and Native Lands
Abstract:We determined the relative benefits for eight categories of ecosystem goods and services associated with native and restored lands across the conterminous United States. Less than 10% of most native US ecosystems remain, and the proportion that is restored varies widely by biome. Restored lands offer 31%to 93%of native land benefits within a decade after restoration, with restored wetlands providing the most economic value and deserts providing the least. Restored ecosystems that recover rapidly and produce valuable commodities return a higher proportion of total value. The relative values of the benefits provided by restoration vary both by biome and by the ecosystem goods and services of interest. Our analysis confirms that conservation should be the first priority, but that restoration programs across broad geographic regions can have substantial value. “No net loss” policies should recognize that restored lands are not necessarily equivalent to native areas with regard to estimated ecosystem benefits.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Corredor Verde – Misiones (Ley 3.631)
Abstract:El presente impreso contiene textos completos de algunas normativas vigentes, aunque la limitada extensión del mismo hizo que fuera necesaria la edición de un soporte informático que lo acompaña. Dicho soporte consiste en un CD que contiene los textos completos de tratados internacionales, leyes nacionales, provinciales y ordenanzas municipales, que están mencionados aquí, mas otros que no lo están, así como documentos que pretenden ampliar y hacer más accesible la información relacionada con la temática ambiental desde la óptica normativa.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Creating Woodland Islets to Reconcile Ecological Restoration, Conservation, and Agricultural Land Use
Abstract:Restoration initiatives seek to address widespread deforestation and forest degradation, but face substantial problems. “Passive restoration”, whereby abandoned agricultural land undergoes secondary succession, is often slow, owing to biotic and abiotic limitations. “Active restoration”, chiefly accomplished by planting trees, can be very expensive if large areas are to be restored. We suggest “woodland islets” as an alternative way to achieve ecological restoration in extensive agricultural landscapes, particularly in low productivity environments. This approach involves the planting of many small, dense blocks of native trees to enhance biodiversity and provide a range of ecosystem services. If the surrounding land is abandoned, the islets act as sources of woodland species and seed, which can accelerate woodland development. Alternatively, if the surrounding area is used for cultivation or pasture, the islets will increase the conservation value of the land and offer the potential for income generation. Here, we review existing approaches to woodland restoration and evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the woodland islets approach.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Declining Diversity in Natural and Restored Salt Marshes: A 30-Year Study of Tijuana Estuary
Abstract:In a 2000 restoration site, planting mortality was high for five species, but Sv recruited voluntarily and dominated by 2005. We attribute recent vegetation changes to frequent catastrophic storms, flooding, and sedimentation, which contrasted strongly with the benign conditions of decades prior to 1974. Sediment blocked tidal channels in 1984 and gradually elevated the marsh plain, degrading the diverse salt marsh and hindering efforts to restore it. Future restoration efforts will require even greater control over sediment inflows plus contouring sites to include natural topographic features that appear critical to sustaining high species richness and evenness.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Dimensionado del Microembalse para la Restauracio_n Forestal en Zonas A_ridas
Abstract:En el proyecto de cualquier repoblacio_n forestal en una zona seca situada en ladera, la economi_a del agua debe ser una de las principales consideraciones a tener en cuenta. La recoleccio_n de una cantidad suficiente de agua para los brinzales en sus primeras etapas de vida resulta decisiva para que el resultado de la repoblacio_n sea exitoso. En este trabajo, se enumeran y desarrollan algunos criterios que sirven para fijar la capacidad del microembalse o alcorque a crear con la preparacio_n del suelo, y que orientan al te_cnico encargado de la restauracio_n forestal, con el fin de incrementar la supervivencia del repoblado, reduciendo al mismo tiempo la modificacio_n del microrrelieve de la ladera a lo mi_nimo imprescindible.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Do Restored Calcareous Grasslands on Former Arable Fields Resemble Ancient Targets? The Effect of Time, Methods and Environment on Outcomes
Abstract:A great deal of money is being invested in calcareous grassland restoration on arable land within agri-environment schemes in the European Union. There is, however, little evidence that the target ecosystem can be obtained from the restoration techniques and management practices currently used. We evaluated these techniques using a multi-site approach in order to improve the success of future restoration efforts. We recommend selecting restoration sites with low phosphorous concentrations that adjoin patches of ancient calcareous grassland. Seed mixes should be devised carefully to prevent the assembly of low-value, competitive, stable communities dominated by grasses; natural regeneration may avoid this, but will only be effective close to sources of propagules. Other methods of restoration or habitat management would undoubtedly benefit from similar multi-site evaluation.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008
Dominance of Legume Trees Alters Nutrient Relations in Mixed Species Forest Restoration Plantings within Seven Years
Abstract:Failures in reforestation are often attributed to nutrient limitation for tree growth. We compared tree performance and nitrogen and phosphorus relations in adjacent mixed-species plantings of contrasting composition, established for forest restoration on Ultisol soil, originally covered by tropical semi-deciduous Atlantic Forest in Southeast Brazil. The legume mixture succeeded in accelerating tree growth and canopy closure, but may imply periods of N losses and possibly P limitation. Incorporation of species with efficient nitrate uptake and P mobilization from resistant soil pools offers potential to optimize these tradeoffs.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2008