Ecosystem restoration

ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
Chandrakant Singh
UPES

Introduction
Rising human populations are largely responsible for
the environmental degradation that ecological
restoration seeks to repair.
the discipline of ecological restoration is likely to face
its greatest challenges at a time when human capital
and economic resources will be inadequate for the
scale of the problem.
Restoration of damaged ecosystems is receiving
increasing attention worldwide as awareness increases
that humanity must sustain ecosystem structure,
functioning, and diversity for its own wellbeing.

Degraded
Ecosystem
• When any ecosystem is
under attack as a result of
natural or man-made
disaster , it is termed as
“degraded ecosystem ‘

Causes Of
Degradation
• Unsustainable land use is a major
cause of land degradation
• Biodiversity loss and thus
demanding concerted efforts for
systematic land use planning.
• Sewage runoff has caused
eutrophication of lakes (water
degradation), which can lead to
loss of most fish species
• In lakes, phosphorus limits
cyanobacterial growth more often
than nitrogen.

Human Impacts
On Ecosystem
• Rapid population growth
• Deforestation and degradation
• Fragmentation and loss of
habitat
• Low crop genetic diversity
• Environmental pollution
• Climate change

Enhancement
• If only a few ecosystem processes or
species are ‘restored’, but the system
remains far from its pristine state, the
effect is called enhancement.

Rehabilitation
• If the ecosystem is significantly
improved but remains quite distinct
from its pre-degradation condition, the
effect is called rehabilitation.
• This is frequently the objective in areas
that have been strip mined
• e.g. oil sands in Alberta.

Reclamation
• Reclamation stabilizes land and restores sufficient soil to revegetate
the land, without attempting to restore the condition before mining.

Replacement
• Replacement builds a new community
that meets some set of conservation
objectives but is unlike the one
degraded.
• Constructed wetlands around the Great
Lakes fit into this category.
Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater

Restoration
Restoration rebuilds an ecosystem little different
than the pristine ecosystem that was degraded.
It is done to the physical environment and to
plants in restoration.
For animals there are:
Translocation and
Reintroduction (using captive-bred animals)

Is restoration feasible?
• Definition of ecosystem restoration: ‘the process
of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has
been degraded, damaged, or destroyed’.
• , there are many approaches to restoration, and
the choice of approach should arguably be based
on –
1. which is most appropriate given the objectives.
2. which provides the greatest likelihood of success.
• These efforts may be conducted on either a small-
scale (e.g., tree planting) or
• May involve major human and technical efforts
(e.g., re-creation of wetlands, acid lake
neutralization).

• If no action is taken, the ecosystem might moderately improve or might get somewhat
worse.

Principles For
Restoration
• Identify cause of degradation
• Stop abuse by reducing factors
• Reintroduce species if necessary
• Protect area from further degradation.
• Ecosystem restoration activities should be
planned at various scales and implemented
using the best available science and
traditional knowledge. The prior and
informed consent and full and effective
participation of indigenous peoples and local
communities and women, as well as the
engagement of other relevant stakeholders
are important considerations at all stages of
the processes.

KEY ACTIVITIES
FOR
ECOSYTEM
RESTORSTION
Restoration activities should be planned on the basis
of priorities identified as-
(A) Assessment of opportunities for ecosystem
restoration
(B) Improving the institutional enabling environment
for ecosystem restoration
(C) Planning and implementation of ecosystem
restoration activities
(D) Monitoring, evaluation, feedback, and
disseminating results

Functional
restoration is
emerging as a
useful
restoration
approach
• As increasing attention is being paid to
ecological functioning and ecosystem
services, functional restoration is beginning
to assume a more prominent position.
• Functional restoration may be a viable
approach when the restoration objective
entails an improved environmental state
• for example, improved water quality,
reduced weed populations, or increased
plant cover.

RESTORATION OF
FORESTS
• Forest restoration: “Action to re-instate
ecological processes ,which accelerate
recovery of forest structure , ecological
functioning and biodiversity levels towards
those typical of climax forest”

Types of Fires
Affecting Forests
• Surface fires: natures “beneficial” fire
1. Burn undergrowth only (not treetops).
2. Cool fire (comparatively)
3. Ecological benefits (frees seeds &
minerals, controls disease & insects)
• Crown fires: destroys almost everything!
1. Burns the entire tree
2. Much hotter fire
3. Occurs in forests with lack of surface fires

Management of
Forest Fires
• Ecologists are now recommending:
1. Prescribed fires to get rid of underbrush
2. Allowing some fires to burn
3. Thinning vegetation from forests
4. Thinning forests around vulnerable homes
5. Decreasing the flammability of homes

Causes of Tropical
Forest Deforestation
and Degradation
• Population growth and poverty
• Economic reasons
1. Logging
2. Ranching
3. Farming
4. Government subsidies

Ways to Reduce
Tropical Deforestation
• A country will protect its rainforests in
exchange for financial aid or debt relief
from a participating country.
• Conservation concessions: similar to above
• Gentler logging methods: 1. Strip cutting,
selective cutting
2. Encourage use of wood substitutes: use of
bamboo, recycled wood products, plastic,
etc.

How Should We
Manage and Sustain
Forests?
• We can sustain forests by emphasizing the
economic value of their ecological
services, removing government subsidies
that hasten their destruction, protecting
old-growth forests, harvesting trees no
faster than they are replenished, and
planting trees.

RESTORATION OF
DEGRADED AQUATIC
ECOSYSTEM
• Aquatic Ecosystem - Natural rivers
and their floodplains are among
the most complex and diverse
ecosystems in the world.
• Rivers have been used for
hundreds of years for food, water,
irrigation, electric generation,
transport, discharge of pollutants,
tourism and recreation, these
activities have been accomplished
without properly considering
ecosystem’s environmental and
conservation features.

Causes of
Degradation
1.Climate change and seas
changes.
2. Pollution.
3. Unsustainable Fishing. 4.
Shipping Impact.
5.Eutrophication.
6. Development of coastal area.

Restoration
of Aquatic
Degradation
•These are the following measures to restore the degraded Aquatic Ecosystem:
1.Controlling Pollution.
2.Environmental and Conservation Policies.
3.Controlled Fishing.
4.Educating the citizens.
5.Restriction over Aggressive coastal Developments.
6.Limiting land Conversion drive.
7.Using designate routes only during Shipping.

Ecosystem
restoration:
challenges and
opportunities for
India
• Ninety-six million hectares of
degraded land, unprecedented loss of
biodiversity, and extreme climatic
events are the key ecological
challenges for India.
• Offering livelihood opportunities to
millions of workers who migrated to
their villages and recovery from
economic crisis due to covid-19
pandemic have emerged as the
biggest socio-economic challenges
for the country.
• By adopting different policies and
strategies, India can overcome its
ecological and socio-economic challenges
in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

Conclusion
As human populations have increased, environmental
degradation has become both more extensive and
intensive.
A dramatic increase in the diversity of restoration
challenges is increasing the scope of what is considered to
be restoration.
Restoration projects increasingly address connections
among floral, edaphic, and faunal communities, as well as
among biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem.
Restoration is poised to become a truly integrated and
collaborative field.

Ecosystem restoration

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Ecosystem restoration