Restoration ecology is the scientific discipline of environmental restoration, or returning degraded ecosystems and landscapes to a "reference" state where ecological communities and processes are re-established. The goals and objectives of restoration studies and projects are defined by the reference state which is selected. Restoration ecology was once labeled "the acid test of ecology" because every project requires a understanding of the field of ecology and tests the predictive ability of these theories. The principal outlet for publication of articles relating to this topic is Restoration Ecology published by Blackwell. Environmental restoration is a term common in the citizens’ environmental movement. ... Ecology is sometimes used as an incorrect synonym for the natural environment. ...
Ecologicalrestoration is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity and sustainability.
Although ecosystem restoration and ecosystem management form a continuum and often employ similar sorts of intervention, ecologicalrestoration aims at assisting or initiating recovery, whereas ecosystem management is intended to guarantee the continued well-being of the restored ecosystem thereafter.
In restoration, the trajectory begins with the unrestored ecosystem and progresses towards the desired state of recovery that is expressed in the goals of a restoration project and embodied in the reference ecosystem.
Ecologicalrestoration is a tool that can produce improvements in the quality of our water resources to support diverse, productive communities of plants and animals that provide significant ecological and social benefits.
Specifically, restoration is the re-establishment of chemical, physical, and biological components of an aquatic ecosystem that have been compromised by stressors such as point or nonpoint sources of pollution, habitat degradation, hydromodification, and others.
For example, restoration may involve rebuilding the infrastructure of a stream system (e.g., r econfiguration of channel morphology, re-establishment of riffle substrates, re-establishment of riparian vegetation, and stabilization of stream banks, accompanied by control of excess sediment and chemical loadings within the watershed) to achieve and m aintain stream integrity.
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