Application of International Standards for Ecological Restoration to the Western US.
Location
USU Eccles Conference Center
Event Website
https://www.restoringthewest.org/
Abstract
With increasing investment in ecological restoration activities, there is a need for improving understanding about the definition and goals of ecological restoration as well as related restorative activities. There have been several recent advances in the field, including the development and adoption of international standards for ecological restoration. These standards include guidance for using restoration interventions that are consistent with two aspects of ecosystems: they are inherently dynamic and complex. Thus the repair of degraded ecosystems must include goals that both account for and allow ecosystem change and have broad goals in terms of ecosystem structure, composition, and process. This presentation will discuss the relevance of international standards to current forest restoration activities in the western United States, as well as current initiatives to improve the quality of restoration practice.
Application of International Standards for Ecological Restoration to the Western US.
USU Eccles Conference Center
With increasing investment in ecological restoration activities, there is a need for improving understanding about the definition and goals of ecological restoration as well as related restorative activities. There have been several recent advances in the field, including the development and adoption of international standards for ecological restoration. These standards include guidance for using restoration interventions that are consistent with two aspects of ecosystems: they are inherently dynamic and complex. Thus the repair of degraded ecosystems must include goals that both account for and allow ecosystem change and have broad goals in terms of ecosystem structure, composition, and process. This presentation will discuss the relevance of international standards to current forest restoration activities in the western United States, as well as current initiatives to improve the quality of restoration practice.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/rtw/2017/Oct18/9
Comments
Dr. Cara R. Nelson is an Associate Professor of Restoration Ecology in the Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Department at University of Montana (USA), a past Chair of the international Society for Ecological Restoration and the current Chair of the Ecological Restoration Thematic Group for IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management. Her research focuses on increasing knowledge about ecological processes and their application to restoration of terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, she and her students study ecosystem responses to abiotic and biotic disturbance and the efficacy and ecological impacts of ecological restoration. Cara teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in ecological restoration and restoration ecology, as well as courses in sampling methods for assessing the efficacy and effects of management activities. She is also active in efforts to increase awareness among educators and decision makers about knowledge and training needed to improve the quality of restoration practice.