Herbaceous native seed policies for restoration

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The Ecological Future of the North American Bison: Conceiving Long-Term, Large-Scale Conservation of Wildlife

Many wide-ranging mammal species have experienced significant declines over the last 200 years; restoring these species will require long-term, large-scale recovery efforts. We highlight 5 attributes of a recent range-wide vision-setting exercise for ecological recovery of the North American bison (Bison bison) that are broadly applicable to other species and restoration targets. The result of the exercise, the “Vermejo Statement” on bison restoration, is explicitly (1) large scale, (2) long term, (3) inclusive, (4) fulfilling of different values, and (5) ambitious. It reads, in part, “Over the next century, the ecological recovery of the North American bison will occur when multiple large herds move freely across extensive landscapes within all major habitats of their historic range, interacting in ecologically significant ways with the fullest possible set of other native species, and inspiring, sustaining and connecting human cultures.” We refined the vision into a scorecard that illustrates how individual bison herds can contribute to the vision. We also developed a set of maps and analyzed the current and potential future distributions of bison on the basis of expert assessment. Although more than 500,000 bison exist in North America today, we estimated they occupy \u3c1% of their historical range and in no place express the full range of ecological and social values of previous times. By formulating an inclusive, affirmative, and specific vision through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, we hope to provide a foundation for conservation of bison, and other wide-ranging species, over the next 100 years

Estudio multitemporal para identificar los cambios en la cobertura vegetal del humedal de Tibabuyes

Saneamiento de comunidadesSe evaluó cómo el humedal de Tibabuyes cambio su dinámica hidrológica con las variaciones en la cobertura vegetal en los últimos sesenta años, esto, a través de un estudio multitemporal de seis (6) décadas mediante la interpretación de imágenes; donde se busca la cuantificación e identificación de los cambios de la cobertura vegetal del humedal, de las posibilidades de restauración, observando la disminución y/o desaparición del espejo de agua, así como también la dinámica hidrológica del humedal ya que está determinada por las relaciones ecológicas actuales.INTRODUCCIÓN 1. MARCO REFERENCIAL 2. MARCO TEÓRICO 3. MARCO CONCEPTUAL 4. MARCO GEOGRÁFICO 5. ASPECTOS FÍSCOS EN EL CONTEXTO LOCAL 6. METODOLOGÍA 7. RESULTADOS 8. POSIBILIDADES DE RESTAURACIÓN 9. CONCLUSIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES 10. BIBLIOGRAFÍAEspecializaciónEspecialista en Recursos Hídrico

Specialist plant species harbour higher reproductive performances in recently restored calcareous grasslands than in reference habitats

peer reviewedBackground and aims_Calcareous grasslands are local biodiversity hotspots in temperate regions that suffered intensive fragmentation. Ecological restoration projects took place all over Europe. Their success has traditionally been assessed using a plant community approach. However, population ecology can also be useful to assess restoration success and to understand underlying mechanisms. Methods_We took advantage of three calcareous grassland sites in Southern Belgium, where reference parcels coexist with parcels restored in the late twentieth century and with more recently restored parcels. We evaluated the colonization stage of three specialist species (Sanguisorba minor, Potentilla neumanniana and Hippocrepis comosa) using occurrence data. We also measured the reproductive traits of 120 individuals per species and compared components of fitness between recent restorations, old restorations and reference habitats. Key results_We found that the occurrence of H. comosa was similar in the different restoration classes, whereas both P. neumanniana and S. minor occurrences decreased from reference grasslands to recent restorations. In contrast, these two latter species exhibited a much higher reproductive output in recent restorations, thanks to an increased production of flowers and seeds. Conclusions_Our results suggest that, during colonization of recently restored calcareous grasslands, favourable environmental conditions, low competition and sufficient genetic mixing may lead to an increased fitness of individuals and a faster population growth than in the reference habitat. These results demonstrate how population processes can increase ecological resilience and highlight the interest of a population-based approach to assess the success of ecological restoration

Assessing the Success of Postfire Reseeding in Semiarid Rangelands Using Terra MODIS

Successful postfire reseeding efforts can aid rangeland ecosystem recovery by rapidly establishing a desired plant community and thereby reducing the likelihood of infestation by invasive plants. Although the success of postfire remediation is critical, few efforts have been made to leverage existing geospatial technologies to develop methodologies to assess reseeding success following a fire. In this study, Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data were used to improve the capacity to assess postfire reseeding rehabilitation efforts, with particular emphasis on the semiarid rangelands of Idaho. Analysis of MODIS data demonstrated a positive effect of reseeding on rangeland ecosystem recovery, as well as differences in vegetation between reseeded areas and burned areas where no reseeding had occurred (P,0.05). We conclude that MODIS provides useful data to assess the success of postfire reseeding

Riparian Forest Restoration: Conflicting Goals, Trade-Offs, and Measures of Success

Restoration projects can have varying goals, depending on the specific focus, rationale, and aims for restoration. When restoration projects use project-specific goals to define activities and gauge success without considering broader ecological context, determination of project implications and success can be confounding. We used case studies from the Middle Rio Grande (MRG), southwest USA, to demonstrate how restoration outcomes can rank inconsistently when narrowly-based goals are used. Resource managers have chosen MRG for restoration due to impacts to the natural flood regime, reduced native tree recruitment, and establishment of non-native plants. We show restoration “success” ranks differently based upon three goals: increasing biodiversity, increasing specific ecosystem functions, or restoring native communities. We monitored 12 restored and control sites for seven years. Treatments ranked higher in reducing exotic woody populations, and increasing proportions of native plants and groundwater salvage, but generally worse at removing fuels, and increasing species and habitat structural diversity. Managers cannot rely on the term “restoration” to sufficiently describe a project’s aim. Specific desired outcomes must be defined and monitored. Long-term planning should include flexibility to incorporate provisions for adaptive management to refine treatments to avoid unintended ecological consequences

Proposal of ecological restoration in the gallery forest presents in the area of direct influence of the guarupayo environmental impact study

El objetivo principal del presente artículo es proponer la restauración ecológica en los bosques de galería presentes en el área de influencia directa del estudio de impacto ambiental Guarupayo, buscando aumentar la diversidad florística a través de especies nativas basado en muestreos forestales realizados en este proyecto. Para ello se tomaron los pasos plasmados en las Guías técnicas para la restauración ecológica de los ecosistemas de Colombia, utilizados para ecosistemas degradados o destruidos, ayudando a lograr procesos de recuperación. Se enfoca principalmente en los mecanismos de sucesiones secundarias – regeneraciones naturales y reforestaciones, el primero es más lento pero realmente efectivo porque el bosque retoma en parte sus formas iniciales y el segundo consta de arreglos de siembra de especies nativas mediante Núcleos de Anderson, en este procedimiento se plantan individuos según la ecología de las especies y los patrones sucesionales naturales, induciendo a una recuperación vegetal acelerada. Planteando restaurar las zonas de protección de 30m para cada margen de los cauces con especies que se adapten a estos bosques, con el fin de enriquecer los ecosistemas alterados, para conservar los bienes y servicios ambientales útiles para la sociedad en general. La restauración ecológica es unas de las alternativas más adecuadas para las áreas que han sido intervenidas, debido a que ayuda a fortalecer los bosques de galería, proteger el suelo, el agua e incrementar la flora y fauna de estos, contribuyendo al mejoramiento del bienestar humano, buscando que estas sean más sostenibles en el tiempo.The main goal of this article is to propose the ecological restauration in the gallery forests present in the direct area of influence of the Guarupayo environmental impact study, looking to raise the floristic diversity through native species, based on forest samples collected in this project. In order to do so, the steps express on the technical guides for ecological restauration of the Colombian ecosystems were taking, which are used on degraded or destroyed ecosystems, to help to accomplish the recovery processes. Its main focus is the secondary succession mechanisms – natural regenerations and reforestations, being the first one slower but more effective, because the forest regains in part its initial forms, while the second one consist on the seeding of native species through Anderson’s Nucleus and individuals are planted according to the ecology of the species and the natural serial patterns, inducing an accelerated vegetal recuperation. Proposing to restore the protection zones of 30m on each riverbed margin with species that are able to adapt to this forests, by means of enriching the altered ecosystems, in order to keep the environmental goods and services which are useful to the whole society. Ecological restauration is one of the most adequate alternatives for areas that have been intervened, since it helps strengthening the gallery forests, protecting the soil and water, and incrementing the fauna and flora within, contributing to improve human wellness

The language of intervention: A review of concepts and terminology in wetland ecosystem repair

As programmes and projects aimed at addressing wetland degradation gain momentum in South Africa, it is critical that related ideas are communicated among and between researchers, practitioners, management agencies, land-owners and the general public in a common language. This paper explores the meaning of ‘restoration’ and ‘rehabilitation’; terms that we suggest are key to understanding and advancing South Africa’s efforts to address wetland degradation. In its essence, the paper is a critical review of wetland ecosystem repair concepts and terminology from local and international literature. The major products of the paper are proposed definitions of the terms ‘restoration’ and ‘rehabilitation’ in a South African wetland science and management context. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, we argue that their absolute distinction will allow scientists and practitioners to better understand what it is that ecosystem repair interventions aim to achieve. We suggest that the terms be distinguished on the basis of what could be considered their respective ecological starting points, where ‘restoration’ applies to part of a system or a system in its entirety that has been completely and permanently, but not irreparably altered, and essentially removed from the landscape, and ‘rehabilitation’ applies to part of a system or a system in its entirety that has not been removed from the landscape through complete and permanent alteration, but is in a degraded state. Thus, ‘wetland restoration’ is defined as the process of reinstating natural ecological driving forces within part or the whole of a completely and permanently altered wetland to recover former or desired ecosystem structure, function, biotic composition and ecosystem services, while ‘wetland rehabilitation’ is defined as the process of reinstating natural ecological driving forces within part or the whole of a degraded wetland to recover former or desired ecosystem structure, function, biotic composition and ecosystem services

Upgrading Marine Ecosystem Restoration Using Ecological-Social Concepts

Conservation and environmental management are principal countermeasures to the degradation of marine ecosystems and their services. However, in many cases, current practices are insufficient to reverse ecosystem declines. We suggest that restoration ecology, the science underlying the concepts and tools needed to restore ecosystems, must be recognized as an integral element for marine conservation and environmental management. Marine restoration ecology is a young scientific discipline, often with gaps between its application and the supporting science. Bridging these gaps is essential to using restoration as an effective management tool and reversing the decline of marine ecosystems and their services. Ecological restoration should address objectives that include improved ecosystem services, and it therefore should encompass social ecological elements rather than focusing solely on ecological parameters. We recommend using existing management frameworks to identify clear restoration targets, to apply quantitative tools for assessment, and to make the re-establishment of ecosystem services a criterion for success