Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ecological restoration:Our hope for the future?

  • Published:
Chinese Geographical Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Ecological restoration is widely employed from tens to millions of hectares in space, and from tens of days to thousands of years in time, which forces consideration of it thoroughly. We argue that three questions are the most important among the contents relevant of ecological restoration, including why, what and how to restore degraded systems. Why to restore determines whether or not the degraded ecological systems should be restored. What to restore is the goal of ecological restoration. The explicit goal of ecological restoration is necessary to guide ecological restoration workers in pursuit of excellence and prevent restoration from being swamped by purely technological activities. And how to restore means the methods and steps we should apply. To ensure the final success of ecological restoration, restored sites should be monitored and managed for long time to determine whether the selected methods are appropriate, and can be remedy better. Only to deal with these effectively, ecological restoration would be the hope for the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ALCOZE T A, COVINGTON W W, FULE P, 2000. Restoration ecology [J]. Science, 287(5461): 2159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BERGER J J, 1991. A generic framework for evaluating complex restoration and conservation projects [J]. Environmental Professional, 13(2): 254–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • BLOCK W M, FRANKLIN A B, WARD J P et al., 2001. Design and implementation of monitoring studies to evaluate the success of ecological restoration on wildlife [J]. Restoration Ecology, 9(3): 293–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BRADSHAW A D, CHADWICK M J, 1980. The Restoration of Land: the Ecology and Reclamation of Derelict and Degraded Land [M]. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • BRADSHAW A D, 1997. What do we mean by restoration [A]. In: URBANSKA K M et al. (eds.). Restoration Ecology and Sustainable Development [C]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • BRINSON M M, RHEINHARDT R, 1996. The role of reference wetlands in functional assessment and mitigation [J]. Ecological Applications, 6: 69–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CAIRNS J, 1980. The Recovery Process in Damaged Ecosystems [M]. Ann. Arbor, Michigan: Ann. Arbor Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • CAIRNS J, 1995. Restoration ecology [J]. Encyclopedia of Environmental Biology, 3(2): 223–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • CARLA D’antonio, MEYERSON L A, 2002. Exotic plant species as problems and solutions in ecological restoration: A synthesis [J]. Restoration Ecology, 10(4): 703–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CUI Bao-shan, LIU Xing-tu, 1999. Review on wetland restoration [J]. Advance in the Earth Sciences, 14(4): 358–364. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • DIGGELEN R V, GROOTJANS A P, HARRIS J A, 2001. Ecological restoration: state of the art or state of the science? [J]. Restoration Ecology, 9(2): 115–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DOBSON A P, BRADSHAW A D, BAKER A J M, 1997. Hopes for the future: restoration ecology and conservation biology [J]. Science, 277(5325): 515–522.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DONALD P F, BUCKINGHAM D L, MOORCROFT D et al., 2001. Habits use and diet of skylarks Alaudaarvensis wintering on lowland farmland in southern Britain [J]. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38(3): 536–547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EHRENFELD J G, 2000. Defining the limits of restoration: The need for realistic goals [J]. Restoration Ecology, 8(1): 2–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FALK D A, MILLAR C I, OLWELL M, 1996. Restoring Diversity—Strategies for the Reintroduction of Endangered Plants [M]. Washington D C: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • GROOTJANS A P, EVERTS H, BRUIN K et al., 2001. Restoration of wet dune slacks on the Dutch Wadden sea islands: recolonization after large-scale sod cutting [J]. Restoration Ecology, 9(2): 137–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HAO Run-mei, 2001. On recovery and re-building of landscape and ecosystem damaged in Huhhot [J]. Journal of Inner Mongolia Normal University (Natural Science), 30(2): 162–166. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • HE H S, MLADENOFF D J, 1999. Spatially explicit and stochastic simulation of forest landscape fire disturbance and succession [J]. Ecology, 80(1): 81–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HIGGS E S, 1997. What is good ecological restoration? [J]. Conservation Biology, 11(2): 338–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HIGGS E S, 2000. No justification to retire the term "Restoration" [J]. Science, 287(5456): 1203–1204.

    Google Scholar 

  • HOBBS R J, HARRIS J A, 2001. Restoration ecology: Repairing the earth’s ecosystems in the new millennium [J]. Restoration Ecology, 9(2): 239–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HOBBS R J, NORTON D A, 1996. Towards a conceptual framework for restoration ecology [J]. Restoration Ecology, 4(1): 93–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HOU Fu-jiang, XIAO Jin-yu, NAN Zhi-biao, 2002. Eco-restoration of abandoned farmland in the Loess Plateau [J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 13(8): 923–929. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • JIANG De-ming, LIU Zhi-min, KOU Zhen-wu, 2002. Prospect of the study on desertification and its restoration of Keerqin sandy land [J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 13(12): 1695–1698. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • JORDON W R, GILPIN M E, ABER J D, 1987. Restoration Ecology: A Synthetic Approach to Ecological Restoration [M]. Cambridge: Cambridge University. 1–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • KLOOR K, 2000. Restoration ecology: Returning America’s forests to their ‘natural’ roots [J]. Science, 287(5453): 573–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KUS B E, 1998. Use of restored riparian habitat by the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) [J]. Restoration Ecology, 6(1): 75–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LAKE P S, 2001. On the maturing of restoration: linking ecological research and restoration [J]. Ecological Management and Restoration, 2(2): 110–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LAMB D, 1998. Large-scale ecological restoration of degraded tropical forest lands: the potential role of timber plantations [J]. Restoration Ecology, 6(3): 271–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LI Jian-dong ZHENG Hui-ying 1995. Ecological restoration and optimal models for development on Alkaline Meadow in the Songnen plain of China [J]. Journal of Northeast Normal University (Natural Science), 3: 67–71. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • MIDDLETON B, 1999. Wetland Restoration: Flood Pulsing and Disturbance Dynamics [M]. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • MLADENOFF D J, BAKER W L, 1999. Development of forest and landscape modeling approaches[A]. In: MLADENOFF D J and BAKER W L (eds.). Advances in Spatial Modeling of Forest Landscape Change: Approaches and Aplications [C]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • NAVEH Z, 1998. Ecological and cultural landscape restoration and the cultural evolution towards a post-industrial symbiosis between human society and nature [J]. Restoration Ecology, 6(2): 135–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ORMEROD S J, 2003. Restoration in applied ecology: editor’s introduction [J]. Journal of Applied Ecology, 40: 44–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PARKER V T, 1997. The scale of successional models and restoration objectives [J]. Restoration Ecology, 5(4): 301–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PENG Shao-lin, 1996. Restoration ecology theories and their application in low-subtropics [J]. Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany, 4(3): 36–44. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • PICKETT S T A, PARKER V T, 1994. Avoiding the old pitfalls: opportunities in a new discipline [J]. Restoration Ecology, 2(1): 75–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • RADELOFF V C, MLADENOFF D J, BOYCE M S. 2000. A historical perspective and future outlook on landscape scale restoration in northwest Wisconsin pine barren [J]. Restoration Ecology, 8(2): 119–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • REN Hai, LI Ping, ZHONG Hou-cheng et al., 2001. The restoration of degraded island ecosystems [J]. Ecologic Science, 20(1,2): 60–64. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • REN Hai, PENG Shao-lin, 2002. Restoration Ecology [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1–144. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • ROGERS-MARTINEZ D, 1992. The Sinkyone intertribal park project [J]. Restoration and Management Notes, 10(1): 64–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • SAMWAYS M J, 2000. A conceptual model of ecosystem restoration triage based on experiences from three remote oceanic islands [J]. Biodiversity and Conservation, 9(8): 1073–1083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SMALE M C, WHALEY P T, SMALE P N, 2001. Ecological restoration of native forest at Aratiatia, north Island, New Zealand [J]. Restoration Ecology, 9(1): 28–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHISENANT S G, 1999. Planning repair programs for wildland landscapes [A]. In: WHISENANT S G (eds). Repairing Damaged Wildlands [C]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 228–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • WOLFF A, PAUL J P, MARTIN J L, 2001. The benefits of extensive agriculture for birds: the case of the little bustard [J]. Journal of Applied Ecology, 38(5): 963–975.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • XIA Han-ping, CAI Xi-an, 2002. Ecological restoration technologies for mined lands: A review [J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 13(11): 1471–1477. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • XIANG Cheng-hua, LIU Hong-Yin, HE Cheng-yuan, 2003. Development in researches on restoration ecology in China and foreign countries [J]. Journal of Sichuan Forestry Science and Technology, 24(2): 17–21. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • ZHANG Jia-en, XU Qi, 1999. Major issues in restoration ecology researches [J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 10(1): 109–113. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110016, Shenyang, P. R. China

    Wang Xu-gao, Li Xiu-zhen, He Hong S & Hu Yuan-man

  2. School of Natural Resources, University fo Missouri-Columbia, 65211, Columbia, MO, USA

    He Hong S

  3. Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, P. R. China

    Wang Xu-gao

Authors
  1. Wang Xu-gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Li Xiu-zhen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. He Hong S
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hu Yuan-man
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40331008, 30270225)

Biography: WANG Xu-gao (1980–), male, a native of Rizhao of Shandong Province, Ph. D. candidate, specialized in landscape ecology, GIS and remote sensing. E-mail: wangxugao@hotmail.com

Correspondent: LI Xiu-zhen(1970–), professor, specialized in landscape structure and modeling. E-mail: lixz@iae.ac.cn

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, Xg., Li, Xz., He, H.S. et al. Ecological restoration:Our hope for the future?. Chin. Geograph.Sc. 14, 361–367 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-004-0042-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11769-004-0042-y

Key Words

CLC number

Search

Navigation