Monday, August 6, 2007 - 4:00 PM

SYMP 3-8: Restoration of "self-sustaining" ecosystems: Challenges and perspectives

Young D. Choi, Purdue University Calumet

One of the nine attributes for determing restoration accomplishement, according to the  2004 version of  the SERI (Society for Ecological Restoration International) Primer on Ecological Restoration, is to restore ecosystems that sustain indefinitely by themselves, and that have the potentials to persist indefinitely under exsiting environmental conditions.  Restoration of ‘self-sustaining’ ecosystem is a daunting challenge because it appears to be a ‘moving target’ with numerous obstacles under the changing and unpredictable environment.  Global climate change with raised atmospheric temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide, enrichment of plant nutrients (particularly by atmospheric deposition of nitrogen), intercontinental invasions of exotic species,  and fragmentation of natural habitats by human encroachment are among the obstacles that obscure the goals and trajectories of restoration.  Moreover, the prevailing paradigm for restrospective restoration lessens the likeliehood of accomplishing ‘self-sustaining’ ecosystem for the following reasons: (1) it is not possible to recreate the past environment; (2) a recomposed flora or fauna of the past is not necessrily an ecosysten that functions sustainably; and (3) an ecosystem that is constructed for the past environment is not likely sustainable in the future environment.  A shift of paradigm is needed for the changing and unpredictable environment.  This paper is to advocate a new restoration paradigm that (1) assumes the dynamic nature of ecological communities with multiple restoration trajectories and goals, (2) focuses on rehabilitation of sustainable ecosystem functions rather than recomposition of historical floras and faunas, and (3) attempts to connect the fragmented landscape elements for improving ecosystem functions and structures that are sustainble within an ecologically, economically and socially acceptable framework.

See more of SYMP 3 - Key concepts and research questions in restoration ecology
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See more of The ESA/SER Joint Meeting (August 5 -- August 10, 2007)