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Mount Usu / Sarobetsu post-mined peatland
From left: Crater basin in 1986 and 2006. Cottongrass / Daylily
HOME > Lecture catalog / Research summary > Glossary > Restoration ecology
What is "restoration ecology"?Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of ecosystems or landscapes that have been damaged by both natural and anthropogenic activities. On plant communities, we often conduct the transplantation and seeding of native species and the removal of non-native species.(Jordan et al. 1990)Restoration (復元)
Rehabilitation (復旧)
Reclamation (再生)
Ecoup (エコアップ)Ecological standard up (= increasing the standard of ecological quality) → ecoup (Japanese-English)
Techniques to restore the environments for habitats → increasing biodiversity by case-by-case apporach |
(WA SEPA 2003) Mitigation (ミティゲーション)Designed to limit the effects of development by enabling wild plants and animals to survive during the building phase and to live in harmony with the new development
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Revegetation Area
The ground surface of Toyako Preschool was covered with cinders and volcanic ash produced by the 2000 eruptions of Usu Volcano, The former vegetaion was damagedby the eruptions. |
Experiments on post-mined peatland
The ground surface where the revegetation was slow was covered with degradabile nets, to promote seedling establishment, on Sarobetsu post-mined peatland. On July 13 2013, two years had passed since the nets were established. Rhynchospora alba firstly colonized. |
| Ecological theory | Potential actions |
| Island biogeography theory | |
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| Dispersal limitation | Sow seeds, plant propagules and add perches to facilitate bird dispersal |
| Establishment limitation | Provide high habitat heterogeneity, import substrate, amend soil and eliminate undesired species or competitors Persistence limitation Restore large habitat blocks, minimize fragmentation and provide corridors between habitat blocks |
| Niche theory | |
| Safe sites | Increase micro-topographic heterogeneity to improve germination |
| Fundamental and realized niches | Plant species in suitable microsites, conduct pilot plantings to identify suitable habitats and plant more broadly in Phase 2d |
| Ecotypic variation | Plant appropriate genotypes and provide genetic variation for future selection |
| Self-design theory | Establish physical and chemical conditions that will favor desired species, anticipate changes, and assume that species (planted or volunteer) will 'find' suitable habitats |
| Assembly rules (functional group) | Prepare site so that it will support late-succession species, plant them early and combine compatible species (e.g. members of different functional groups) |
| Hydrarch succession | Plant submergents, floating aquatics and emergents at appropriate water depths |
| Population theory | |
| Minimum viable populations | Introduce larger numbers of propagules |
| Metapopulation dynamics | Provide multiple habitat patches and dispersal corridors |
| Competition theory - competitive exclusion | Tend plantings to speed growth (fertilize, mulch, weed, control herbivory and treat disease) |
| Priority effects | Introduce desired species early and introduce larger and/or older individuals to shorten the time to dominance |
| Facilitation | Provide nurse plants or surrogate structures to trap seeds and/or reduce stress on seedlings; plant individuals in clusters; and inoculate soil with mycorrhizae |
| Invasion theory (exotic species, 帰化植物) | Remove invaders by hand or machine; use herbicides or pesticides; smother with black plastic or mulch; introduce fast-growing cover crops |
| Trophic theory | |
| Herbivory theory (intermediate grazing hypothesis) | Employ moderate grazing and/or mowing to reduce dominance by a few species and to promote species richness |
| Trophic cascade | Introduce carnivores to regulate herbivores and promote plant growth |
| Keystone species | Introduce top carnivores that feed opportunistically and increase animal diversity (e.g. starfish on rocky shores); and introduce animals that increase habitat heterogeneity (e.g. alligators and beavers) |
| Disturbance theory | Provide flood pulses at appropriate intervals for streams and rivers; burn wetlands to control shrubs and trees; and fence out animals that disturb sites in undesirable ways or introduce animals that enhance diversity by opening patches in dense canopies |
a See Box 4 for relevant theories and concepts of development.
b Data compiled from ecology textbooks and Refs 9,15.
c Many theories and concepts could be considered components of succession theory and are relevant to the wetland restoration. The list is not exhaustive, but the selections illustrate how complex restoration can be and how difficult it is to predict how a specific wetland ecosystem will develop.
d Phase 2: species are planted in suitable microsites, pilot plantings are conducted to identify suitable habitats and then the results are used to plant more broadly in subsequent phases.
A prescribed productive use(s) of the land after mining such as grazing, forestry, and/or wildlife habitats.
ComplianceConducting extraction and reclamation activities in accordance with the requirements of state and federal law.SeedingTo sprinkle seeds, to plant seeds in, or to sow. |
Artificial seedingTechnique: ___ (Application)
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In the case of restoration ecology The process of again becoming green and covered with vegetation
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| ≈ environment impact assessment (EIA) |
| A process to degrade the target pollutant or contaminated media, such as water and soil, by altering environmental conditions to stimulate the activities of microorganisms |
Greening (≠ restoration) |
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= ecological network a representation of the biotic interactions in an ecosystem, in which species (nodes) are connected by pairwise interactions (links) |
core area: ●buffer zone: ● corridor: linear corridor ■■■ stopping stone corridor ●●● landscape corridor === sustainable use area: □ Fig. Schematic illustration of ecological or ecosystem network formed by cores, buffers and corridors. |
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≈ habitat An area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals
The definition differs somehow among countries or regions, e.g., Activities (examples)
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Conservation and Resotration of Biological Diversity by Creating Biotopes
Conservation and Restoration of Biological Diversity in "Hikari-no-monri" have been promoted in good harmony with historical environment in the region represented by stone wall of Benkeibori moat. Since some firefly species such as Luciola lateralis and Luciola crucitae have been identified in and around Imperial Palace and midtown of Tokyo area as well, this biotope will be expected to be a habitat for those species and preserve ecosystem which has been original to the region.
(November 24 2017) |
