Ecological Restoration- What you can do?
Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2017 10:28 pm
Later this evening, while scrolling down my Facebook newsfeed, I happened to see a video that shows., how some of the desert regions in China were converted into thick grown bio-diversity spots. I was simply amazed to see those plants and crops they have grown right in the middle of a desert. The transformation was truly incredible.
New research shows that "ecological restoration in areas of environmental degradation can help reverse global biodiversity losses, as well as promoting recovery of ecosystem services. However, the research also showed that measures of biodiversity and ecosystem services are higher in pristine land, freshwater, and marine systems than in restoring systems".
Here I will list out ten successful ecological restoration steps which you can do, maybe by combining with your local community:
1. Inventory and map the ecological resources, and describe their current condition.
2. Describe the site’s history, and map it where possible. Use old aerial photographs, original land survey records, and maps produced from them, historical descriptions, oral histories, logging records, 1930’s economic land surveys, Johnson’ fire maps, etc.
3. Develop a hypothesis of how the original system worked. Review technical literature for related ecological studies conducted in the region; visit nearby natural areas.
4. Develop goals for each management unit by assessing the potential of that unit for restoration with reasonable effort, and specifying its desired future condition.
5. Develop an implementation plan to accomplish the goals. Identify and schedule tasks, specify methods, estimate material costs and labor for each management unit.
6. Design a monitoring program to evaluate the success of the restoration.
7. Implement the restoration program. Develop a proposal, obtain funding, establish administrative and field capacities to carry out tasks, install a monitoring program, and then begin restoration work.
8. Prepare reports and papers that explain the project and describe the results.
9. Periodically evaluate the program by incorporating new information and ideas into the plan, revising goals, and modifying and rescheduling tasks.
10. Communicate and educate interested and potentially affected parties to provide basic information and comfort with the restoration process.
New research shows that "ecological restoration in areas of environmental degradation can help reverse global biodiversity losses, as well as promoting recovery of ecosystem services. However, the research also showed that measures of biodiversity and ecosystem services are higher in pristine land, freshwater, and marine systems than in restoring systems".
Here I will list out ten successful ecological restoration steps which you can do, maybe by combining with your local community:
1. Inventory and map the ecological resources, and describe their current condition.
2. Describe the site’s history, and map it where possible. Use old aerial photographs, original land survey records, and maps produced from them, historical descriptions, oral histories, logging records, 1930’s economic land surveys, Johnson’ fire maps, etc.
3. Develop a hypothesis of how the original system worked. Review technical literature for related ecological studies conducted in the region; visit nearby natural areas.
4. Develop goals for each management unit by assessing the potential of that unit for restoration with reasonable effort, and specifying its desired future condition.
5. Develop an implementation plan to accomplish the goals. Identify and schedule tasks, specify methods, estimate material costs and labor for each management unit.
6. Design a monitoring program to evaluate the success of the restoration.
7. Implement the restoration program. Develop a proposal, obtain funding, establish administrative and field capacities to carry out tasks, install a monitoring program, and then begin restoration work.
8. Prepare reports and papers that explain the project and describe the results.
9. Periodically evaluate the program by incorporating new information and ideas into the plan, revising goals, and modifying and rescheduling tasks.
10. Communicate and educate interested and potentially affected parties to provide basic information and comfort with the restoration process.