Sign Into Environment 911Ecological restoration is the study and process of renewing degraded, damaged or destroyed ecosystems through human intervention. The goal for any ecological restoration project is to bring an entire ecosystem back to health by reestablishing the ecosystems structure. Ecological restoration differs from conservation because in conservation, the goal is to prevent destruction, while in restoration the goal is to reverse the destruction done to an area or ecosystem. The way that this is done is by “jump-starting” the natural recuperation process rather then to attempt to recreate an ecosystem.
Ecological restoration has involved a number of projects with a broad scope that include: erosion control, reforestation, removal of non-native species, revegetation, etc. Some emerging concepts in the ecological restoration area include: a) local genetics and b) ontogeny – the study of how ecological relationships change over time.
In this section, be heard on the subject of ecological restoration methods, projects, successes and whether or not humans have the capacity to reverse ecological damage.