©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.
Collective Planning of Hydraulic Engineering Projects: Manual for Participation and Decision Support in Hydraulic Engineering Projects
Abstract:This manual focuses on revitalisation and flood protection projects (referred to as hydraulic engineering projects). Methodological tools can also be transferred to other subject areas (e.g. natural hazard and infrastructure projects). The applicability of tools depends on the different constraints faced by specific hydraulic engineering projects and is adaptable to the needs of the individual project. The manual is aimed at those in charge of hydraulic engineering projects within local councils, cantons and the federal government, as well as contractors in engineering agencies, institutes and universities. The guidance is also useful for environmental and civil organisations, among others.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2005
Communities Connecting to Place: A Strategy for Eelgrass Restoration in British Columbia
Abstract:Discussions with coastal conservation groups which have mapped eelgrass beds in twenty communities in British Columbia over the last three years have culminated in the production of this document. These stewardship groups make up the B.C. Eelgrass Network, which is part of the Seagrass Conservation Working Group (SCWG), a consortium of scientists, stewardship groups, governmental agencies and researchers committed to the conservation and protection of seagrasses in B.C.
Resource Type:Technical DocumentPublication Date: 2005
Back-to-the-Future: A Fresh Policy Initiative for Fisheries and a Restoration Ecology for Ocean Ecosystems
Abstract:‘Back-to-the-future’ (BTF) is an integrative approach to a restoration ecology of the oceans that attempts to solve the fisheries crisis. To this end, it harnesses the latest understanding of ecosystem processes, developments in whole ecosystem simulation modelling, and insight into the human dimension of fisheries management. BTF includes new methods for describing past ecosystems, designing fisheries that meet criteria for sustainability and responsibility, and evaluating the costs and benefits of fisheries in restored ecosystems. Evaluation of alternative policy choices, involving trade-offs between conservation and economic values, employs a range of economic, social and ecological measures.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Research: Is It Relevant to Conservation?
Abstract:In general, the conservation case is stronger for stability measures of function than stock and flux measures, in part because it is easier to attribute value unambiguously to stability and in part because stock and flux measures of functions are anticipated to be more affected by multitrophic dynamics. Nor is biodiversity-ecosystem function theory likely to help conservation managers in practical decisions, except in the particular case of restoration. We give recommendations for increasing the relevance of this area of research for conservation.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Challenges and Prospects for Restoring Urban Streams: A Perspective from the Pacific Northwest of North America
Abstract:In the absence of effective hydro-logic mitigation, appropriate short-term rehabilitation objectives for urban channels should be to 1) eliminate point sources of pollution, 2) reconstruct physical channel elements to resemble equivalent undisturbed channels, and 3) provide habitat for self-sustaining biotic communities, even if those communities depart significantly from predisturbance conditions. Long-term improvement of stream conditions is not feasible under typical urban constraints, so large sums of money should not be spent on unrealistic or unreachable targets for stream rehabilitation. However, such a strategy should not be an excuse to preclude potential future gains by taking irreversible present-day development or rehabilitative actions.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Coastal Restoration: Where Have We Been, Where Are We Now, and Where Should We Be Going?
Abstract:Advances in coastal restoration in the last decade are documented in this collection of papers that were commissioned for a symposium held at Restore America’s Estuary’s inaugural national conference, Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration, Saving Our Coastal Heritage. The symposium presented the current status of our ability to (1) achieve restoration goals, (2) restore fish and wildlife habitat, (3) increase the understanding of coastal habitats and the role of restoration in maintaining them, and (4) use adaptive management approaches. The papers illustrate some of the progress made to date in the restoration of coastal habitats. They also point to the need for continuing study of restoration and for extending the practice of restoration to include a human dimension. The work presented demonstrates the value of science to the management of the nation’s resources and confirms the potential of restoration to repair damaged ecosystems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Compromised rivers: Understanding historical human impacts on rivers in the context of restoration
Abstract: Recognition of compromised river function is particularly important in the context of river restoration, in which the public perception of a river’s condition often drives the decision to undertake restoration as well as the
decision about what type of restoration should be attempted. Determining the degree to which a river has been altered from its reference condition requires a knowledge of historical land use and the associated effects on rivers. Rivers of the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the United States are used
to illustrate how historical land uses such as beaver trapping, placer mining, tie drives, flow regulation,
and the construction of transportation corridors continue to affect contemporary river characteristics.
Publication Date: 2005
Conservation of Coral Reefs through Active Restoration Measures: Recent Approaches and Last Decade Progress
Abstract:The present essay reviews past decade’s (1994-2004) approaches and advances in coral reef restoration. While direct coral transplantation is still the primer vehicle of operations used, the concept of in situ and ex situ coral nurseries (the gardening concept), where coral materials (nubbins, branches, spats) are maricultured to a size suitable for transplantation, has been gaining recognition. The use of nubbins (down to the size of a single or few polyps) has been suggested and employed as a unique technique for mass production of coral colonies. Restoration of ship grounding sites and the use of artificial reefs have become common tools for specific restoration needs. Substrate stabilization, 3-D structural consideration of developing colonies, and the use of molecular/biochemical tools are part of novel technology approaches developed in the past decade.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Control of Tamarix in the Western United States: Implications for Water Salvage, Wildlife Use, and Riparian Restoration
Abstract:We review the literature on saltcedar control, water use, wildlife use, and riparian restoration to provide resource managers, researchers, and policy-makers with a balanced summary of the state of the science. To best ensure that the desired outcomes of removal programs are met, scientists and resource managers should use existing information and methodologies to carefully select and prioritize sites for removal, apply the most appropriate and cost-effective control methods, and then rigorously monitor control efficacy, revegetation success, water yield changes, and wildlife use.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Creating Riverine Wetlands: Ecological Succession, Nutrient Retention, and Pulsing Effects
Abstract:Successional patterns, water quality changes, and effects of hydrologic pulsing are documented for a whole-ecosystem experiment involving two created wetlands that have been subjected to continuous inflow of pumped river water for more than 10 years. At the beginning of the growing season in the first year of the experiment (1994), 2400 individuals representing 13 macrophyte species were introduced to one of the wetland basins. The other basin was an unplanted control. Patterns of succession are illustrated by macrophyte community diversity and net aboveground primary productivity, soil development, water quality changes, and nutrient retention for the two basins. The planted wetland continued to be more diverse in plant cover 10 years after planting and the unplanted wetland appeared to be more productive but more susceptible to stress.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Designing Large-scale Wetland Restoration for Delaware Bay
Abstract:The first step in the design process was to obtain consensus among regulators, ecologists, engineers, and the public as to marsh structure and function. Second was to reach agreement on the essential sedimentary and hydrodynamic characteristics needed to achieve the desired ecosystem. Third was to develop a two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model to design marsh channels that would not erode, would have typical channel cross-sections, and would have a hydro-period on the marsh plain to allow growth of the desired species. The process for design that met the restoration goals and was acceptable to the regulatory agencies and the public was complex. We discuss the social/political and the scientific/engineering steps used to reach a final design acceptable to all involved parties.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Determining Reference Ecosystem Conditions for Disturbed Landscapes within the Context of Contemporary Resource Management Issues
Abstract:In this article, we present a framework to assess the potential influence of forest ecosystem restoration on the landscape of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the core of which is an approach to determine the distribution of forest ecosystems on both the pre-European settlement landscape and the “restored” landscape. Because there has been an increased interest in the conservation and restoration of the cultural landscapes (e.g., particularly late 19th and early 20th century farmsteads) at the Lakeshore, we focus our efforts on understanding the important ecological contributions provided by these cultural landscapes to open land avian bird conservation and the potential consequences of restoring the Lakeshore’s cultural landscapes to a more natural condition.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Ecological Engineering for Successful Management and Restoration of Mangrove Forests
Abstract:Great potential exists to reverse the loss of mangrove forests worldwide through the application of basic principles of ecological restoration using ecological engineering approaches, including careful cost evaluations prior to design and construction. Previous documented attempts to restore mangroves, where successful, have largely concentrated on creation of plantations of mangroves consisting of just a few species, and targeted for harvesting as wood products, or temporarily used to collect eroded soil and raise intertidal areas to usable terrestrial agricultural uses. I document here the importance of assessing the existing hydrology of natural extant mangrove ecosystems, and applying this knowledge to first protect existing mangroves, and second to achieve successful and cost-effective ecological restoration, if needed.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Ecological Engineering, Adaptive Management, and Restoration Management in Delaware Bay Salt Marsh Restoration
Abstract:Salt hay marshes were diked and farmed for over 50 years, reducing marsh plain elevations, obliterating many tidal channels, keeping fish out of the marsh, and encouraging invasion of Phragmites. Restoration involved setting restoration goals, careful planning, recreating major tidal channels, and opening the dikes. Ecological engineering, allowing nature to self-design, was used to create the smaller tidal channels, re-introduce fish, and adjust the elevation of the marsh plain and revegetate it. Adaptive management, specified in regulatory requirements, was used to monitor the restoration to ensure that design goals were met. Adaptive management and restoration management, less constrained by regulatory requirements but an equally intense process, were carried out by a small team of ecologists, engineers, and regulators. Ecological engineering, adaptive management, and restoration management were used to restore the structure and function of degraded salt marshes and were essential to the success of the Delaware Bay wetland restorations.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Ecological Rehabilitation of the Schelde Estuary (The Netherlands–Belgium; Northwest Europe): Linking Ecology, Safety Against Floods, and Accessibility for Port Development
Abstract:This study focuses on the ecological rehabilitation of the estuary and the creation of sustainable nature, seeking possible alliances with security measures against floods, navigation requisites for port activities, and enhancement of the estuary’s educational and recreational values. The estuary and its valley were subdivided into ecologically relevant zones. Key parameters were identified, and a conceptual rehabilitation model was developed, based on a problem analysis. Goals were set in a semi-quantified way for most attributes of the estuarine functioning and prioritized for each zone. Rehabilitation measures with maximal contribution to the priority goals were identified for each zone. Spatial analysis of the study area indicated optimal areas for the implementation of these measures. To exemplify the array of possibilities on an ecosystem level, two different rehabilitation plans were proposed, each from a different approach. The potential contribution to the rehabilitation of the estuary was compared for both alternatives.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Ecological Restoration: Guidance from Theory
Abstract:A review of the science and practice of ecosystem restoration led me to identify key ecological theories and concepts that are relevant to planning, implementing, and sustaining restoration efforts. From experience with actual restoration projects, I provide guidance for improving the restoration process. Despite an abundance of theory and guidance, restoration goals are not always achieved, and pathways toward targets are not highly predictable. This is understandable, since each restoration project has many constraints and unique challenges. To improve restoration progress, I advise that sites be designed as experiments to allow learning while doing. At least the larger projects can be restored in phases, each designed as experimental treatments to test alternative restoration approaches. Subsequent phases can then adopt one or more of the treatments that best achieved goals in earlier phases while applying new tests of other restoration measures. Both science and restoration can progress simultaneously. This phased, experimental approach (called “adaptive restoration”) is an effective tool for improving restoration when monitoring, assessment, interpretation and research are integrated into the process.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Evaluation of the Ecological Restoration Potential of Plant Communities in Norway Spruce Plantations Using a Life-trait Based Approach
Abstract:In Europe, intensively managed coniferous plantations rarely achieve similar nature conservation functions as deciduous woodlands. The ability to identify coniferous plantations that might be successfully converted to deciduous woodland is a key goal in forest management. The herbaceous plant community composition of mature plantations may be an accurate selection criterion for stands that are most suitable for initiating the conversion process to deciduous forest. The performance of short geophytes is the key to conversion success of Norway spruce plantations to deciduous forest. Stands located on base-rich soils and in landscapes with high forest connectivity are the most appropriate candidates for initiating the conversion process. For other types of stands, future work should explore the possibility of restoring other land-use types, such as annually mown meadows.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Evidence for Micronutrient Limitation of Biological Soil Crusts: Importance to Arid Lands Restoration
Abstract:Desertification is a global problem, costly to national economies and human societies. Restoration of biological soil crusts (BSCs) may have an important role to play in the reversal of desertification due to their ability to decrease erosion and enhance soil fertility. To determine if there is evidence that lower fertility may hinder BSC recolonization, we investigated the hypothesis that BSC abundance is driven by soil nutrient concentrations. We propose experimental trials of micronutrient addition to promote the restoration of BSC function on disturbed lands. Arid lands, where BSCs are most prevalent, cover 40% of the terrestrial surface of the earth; thus the information gathered in this study is potentially useful in many places worldwide.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Experimental Tree Assemblages on the Ecological Rehabilitation of a Cloud Forest in Veracruz, Mexico
Abstract:The composition and richness of woody species were experimentally tested in assemblages that were put together in order to evaluate – 18 months later – the combination that impacts several variables of woody community development the most and thus, its value on cloud forest rehabilitation. The experiment was conducted in an area of eastern Mexico characterized by cloud forest that had been severely damaged by plant cover removal and erosion as well as soil mixing and compacting caused by heavy machinery. Ten, 1-year-old, native woody species were employed to construct the assemblages. All species used in the experiment are native to eastern Mexican cloud forest, and each was included in at least two assemblages. The relative success of all assemblages and most individual species shows that it is possible to accelerate secondary succession in cloud forest by establishing assemblages of woody species juveniles. The results suggest that in this forest rehabilitation, any assemblage can be employed. Given the effects on each species, it is advisable to include the ones which exhibit the best survival and response under altered conditions in terms of crown size and height (Quercus, Carpinus, and Ulmus).
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Facets of Grassland Restoration: Selected Papers from the International Field Seminar held at the Galichya Gora Nature Reserve (Russia)
Abstract:This book is an offspring of “The Open Country,” a project started in 1999 with the Biodiversity Conservation Center that was intended to help develop an ongoing international forum on the problems of grassland conservation and restoration. The seminar was held from 16 to 22 June 2003, bringing together over 30 participants, including the reserve personnel and guests from 8 countries. During these days, each guest was asked to give a paper about her or his experiences in grassland restoration.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Potential Tree Species for Use in the Restoration of Unsanitary Landfills
Abstract:Given that they represent the most economical option for disposing of refuse, waste landfills are widespread in urban areas. However, landfills generate air and water pollution and require restoration for landscape development. A number of unsanitary waste landfills have caused severe environmental problems in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the colonization status of different tree species on waste landfills to assess their potential for restoring unsanitary landfills in South Korea.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Recovery of Forest Plant Communities in Post-Agricultural Landscapes
Abstract:As landscapes throughout Europe and eastern North America recover from past agricultural use, forests continue to reflect their agricultural history. For centuries after agriculture has ceased, plant communities on abandoned agricultural lands remain impoverished in herbaceous species characteristic of uncleared forests. To facilitate the recovery of biological diversity in these forests, and to anticipate the effects of future land-use decisions, we need to understand the process of recolonization. The unique interactions between forest herbs and agricultural history also allow us to explore some universal questions in ecology, such as how dispersal and environment limit species distributions.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Regeneration of Native Trees in the Presence of Invasive Saltcedar in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico
Abstract:It has been proposed that reestablishment of a natural flow regime on these rivers might permit passive restoration of native trees, without the need for aggressive saltcedar clearing programs. We tested this proposition in the Colorado River delta in Mexico, which has received a series of large-volume water releases from U.S. dams over the past 20 years. Our results support the hypothesis that restoration of a pulse flood regime will regenerate native riparian vegetation despite the presence of a dominant invasive species, but fire management will be necessary to allow mature tree stands to develop.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoration and canopy type influence soil microflora in a ponderosa pine forest
Abstract:We evaluated the impacts of two replicated ecological restoration treatments involving tree thinning alone and a combination of ree thinning, forest floor reduction and prescribed burning on soil microbial activity, biomass, and function approximately 8 years after the initial treatments. Taken together, our results suggest that restoration treatments have long-term impacts on the soil microflora in these forests.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoration of Araucaria Forest: The Role of Perches, Pioneer Vegetation, and Soil Fertility
Abstract:This work aims to investigate how use of perches to attract seed dispersers and the influence of pioneer vegetation and soil fertilization could affect the colonization of woody species in a degraded area. An experiment was conducted in an abandoned field where the natural establishment of seeds and seedlings of woody species was monitored under factorial combinations of the following treatments: (1) pioneer vegetation (presence and absence); (2) soil fertility (addition of NPK and control); and (3) perches (presence and absence). Seed and seedling abundance, seed and seedling species richness, and seedling mortality were recorded monthly during 12 months. Seed abundance and species richness were significantly greater in places with perches than in control plots. These results were consistent over the year and more pronounced when the surrounding forest produced a higher amount of fruit.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoration of calcareous grasslands: The role of the soil seed bank and seed dispersal for recolonisation processes
Abstract:Seed bank is a central topic for plant communities restoration. We review the methods to measure seed persistence and the
different seed bank types
Publication Date: 2005
Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest Landscapes
Abstract:The current scale of deforestation in tropical regions and the large areas of degraded lands now present underscore the urgent need for interventions to restore biodiversity, ecological functioning, and the supply of goods and ecological services previously used by poor rural communities. Traditional timber plantations have supplied some goods but have made only minor contributions to fulfilling most of these other objectives. New approaches to reforestation are now emerging, with potential for both overcoming forest degradation and addressing rural poverty.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoration success: How is it being measured
Abstract:To determine how restoration success has been evaluated in restoration projects, we reviewed articles published in Restoration Ecology (Vols. 1[1]–11[4]). Specifically, we addressed the following questions: (1) what measures of ecosystem attributes are assessed and (2) how are these measures used to determine restoration success. No study has measured all the SER Primer attributes, but most studies did include at least one measure in each of three general categories of the ecosystem attributes: diversity, vegetation structure, and ecological processes. Most of the reviewed studies are using multiple measures to evaluate restoration success, but we would encourage future projects to include: (1) at least two variables within each of the three ecosystem attributes that clearly related to ecosystem functioning and (2) at least two reference sites to capture the variation that exist in ecosystems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoration Success: How Is It Being Measured?
Abstract:Most of the reviewed studies are using multiple measures to evaluate restoration success, but we would encourage future projects to include: (1) at least two variables within each of the three ecosystem attributes that clearly related to ecosystem functioning and (2) at least two reference sites to capture the variation that exist in ecosystems.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005
Restoring Ecological Function in Temperate Grassy Woodlands: Manipulating Soil Nutrients, Exotic Annuals and Native Perennial Grasses through Carbon Supplements and Spring Burns
Abstract:Ecological restoration can be viewed as targeted intervention in species–environment interactions, whereby ecological conditions are manipulated to enhance establishment or vigour of key species, and these species in turn help restore ecological processes that favour the target species composition. In grassy ecosystems re-establishing a perennial sward of appropriate native tussock grasses may be critical for restoring pre-disturbance nitrogen cycles and improving resistance to invasion by exotic annuals. Carbon supplements and spring burns facilitate this process through complementary mechanisms.
Resource Type:Peer-reviewed ArticlePublication Date: 2005