Ecological Restoration

The field of ecological restoration is a rapidly growing discipline that encompasses a wide range of activities and brings together practitioners and theoreticians from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives, ranging from volunteer backyard restorationists to highly trained academic scientists and professional consultants."Ecological Restoration" offers for the first time a unified vision of ecological restoration as a field of study, one that clearly states the discipline's precepts and emphasizes issues of importance to those involved at all levels. In a lively, personal fashion, the authors discuss scientific and practical aspects of the field as well as the human needs and values that motivate practitioners. This book identifies fundamental concepts upon which restoration is based. It considers the principles of restoration practice. It explores the diverse values that are fulfilled with the restoration of ecosystems. It reviews the structure of restoration practice, including the various contexts for restoration work, the professional development of its practitioners, and the relationships of restoration with allied fields and activities.A unique feature of the book is the inclusion of eight "virtual field trips," short photo essays of project sites around the world that illustrate various points made in the book and are "led" by those who were intimately involved with the project described. Throughout, ecological restoration is conceived as a holistic endeavor, one that addresses issues of ecological degradation, biodiversity loss, and sustainability science simultaneously, and draws upon cultural resources and local skills and knowledge in restoration work.

ISBN 1597261696   Pages 275 ISBN13 9781597261692 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Island Press   Weight (grammes) 413 Imprint Island Press   Published in Washington Format Paperback   Series title Science & Practice of Ecological Restoration Publication date 15 Jan 2008   Height (mm) 254 Library of Congress 2007025912   Width (mm) 178 DEWEY 639.9   Spine width (mm) 13 DEWEY edition DC21   Academic level Undergraduate, Postgraduate, Professional / Scholarly

Pt. I		Introduction and Essential Background		5
Ch. 1		Essence of Restoration		7
Virtual Field Trip 1		Restoring Desertified Vegetation in Australia by David Tongway and John Ludwig		14
Ch. 2		Ecological Impairment and Recovery		19
Virtual Field Trip 2		Restoring Cultural Landscapes in Central Chile by Carlos Ovalle and James Aronson		33
Ch. 3		Cultural Ecosystems, Fire, and Alternative States		38
Pt. II		Elements of Restoration Projects		53
Ch. 4		Ecological Attributes of Restored Ecosystems		55
Virtual Field Trip 3		Restoring Wet Prairie in Mississippi, USA by George Ramseur, Jr. and Andre F. Clewell		70
Ch. 5		Reference Models and Developmental Trajectories		75
Ch. 6		Project Planning and Evaluation		88
Pt. III		Values That Restoration Addresses		97
Virtual Field Trip 4		Restoring a Communal Savanna in South Africa by James Blignaut and Rudi van Aarde		99
Ch. 7		Values and Ecological Restoration		104
Virtual Field Trip 5		Restoring Forests and People's Well-Being in Southern India by Narayanan Krishnakumar and T. S. Stinivasa Murthy		112
Ch. 8		A Four-Quadrant Model for Holistic Ecological Restoration		116
Pt. IV		Structure of an Emerging Profession		123
Virtual Field Trip 6		Restoring Drained Peatlands for Sustainable Use in Germany by Achim Schafer and Wendelin Wichtmann		125
Ch. 9		Relationship of Restoration to Related Fields		130
Virtual Field Trip 7		Restoring Dogleg Branch in Florida, USA by Andre F. Clewell		141
Ch. 10		Project Roles and Contexts		147
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