THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

2005 The World Conference on Ecological Restoration 31
include U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geologic Survey, Rocky Mountain National
Park, local Open Space Departments, and recreation clubs. Restoration design professionals, graphic designer,
backhoe operator, and tree thinning service offer discounted services. WRV seeks participation
from diverse groups; four wheel drive clubs helped restore habitats extremely eroded by off road vehicle
use. Not just for people who can move boulders, stake erosion control matting, and rake seeds – volunteers
participate in fund raising, project design, web site maintenance (http://www.wlrv.org/), cooking for
crews, and providing campfire music. Project duration ranges from an evening of seed gathering to a day
on site to a camping weekend. WRV’s program of volunteer restoration projects works because the projects
are fun and highly social, use a variety of skills, are located in beautiful settings, and build empowerment
to care for the land. By the end of the 5 th season, volunteers had completed 65 projects and donated
37,000 hours to improve ecosystems as WRV seeks to put restoration “In Our Own Hands.”
Keywords: restoration, volunteers, public lands, empowerment.
Ecological restoration of coral limestone quarries on the Kenian coast
Baer S.
Lafarge Eco Systems, P.O.Box 81995, Mombasa, Kenya
The restoration of a cement factory’s coral limestone quarries on the Kenyan coast, started in 1971. Approx.100ha
of former quarries has been restored to date into a mosaic of indigenous coastal forest
ecosystems, lakes, wetlands and grasslands. Another 100ha are in various stages of restoration, with the
area increasing as mining continues. Initially Casuarina equisetifolia is planted as pioneer species to colonize
the open quarry, and over the years create humus from leaf litter and a suitable microclimate for
other plant species to grow. Over the past 15 years more than 400 coastal plant species have been introduced
into the mature Casuarina plantations. While the main aim is to create diversity, special emphasis
is laid on timber trees and conservation of threatened species. To create grassland the original topsoil is
brought back, and grass planted. Herds of domesticated eland and oryx antelopes speed up the grassland
development as they deposit seeds and nutrients with their droppings when they come to drink
from the quarry ponds. Lakes and wetlands are created by excavating into the ground water, and linked
into a system of lakes, ponds and wetlands. A demonstration fish-farm has been established, and it’s
pumping activity drives the water circulation. Hippopotamus and other wildlife have been introduced and
are the main attraction for the visitors to the quarry nature trails - tourism is the main revenue generating
activity in the rehabilitated quarries, besides forestry and aquaculture.
Keywords: Restoration, diversity, former quarries, tourism.
Soil organic matter accumulation in restored New York wetlands
Ballantine, K.A., R.L. Schneider
Department of Natural Resources. Cornell University. Ithaca. USA
Wetland restoration is increasingly used as a strategy both to address historic wetland losses and to mitigate
new wetland impacts. Limited research has examined the success of restored wetlands in the eastern
U.S. for avifaunal habitat, plant biodiversity and cover; however, less is known about soil development
in these systems. Soil processes are particularly important as soil organic matter, texture, and
other properties are directly linked to wetland functions for water quality improvement. This research examined
soil development processes in 30 restored wetlands in western New York. We compared soil properties
and soil development processes of wetlands of three different ages, e.g. ~2, 10, and 30 years since
restoration, but which were comparable in restoration methodology, soil type, landscape position, and
hydrologic regime. Replicated soil cores from each site were analyzed for soil organic matter content, bulk
density, texture, root abundance, and chemical properties. Aboveground plant biomass and litter were
quantified as key soil contributors. Additionally, replicated litter bags were used to document and compare
rates of litter decomposition. Results suggest that older restored wetlands had different rates of decomposition,
amounts of soil organic matter content, and bulk density than did younger wetlands. All restored
wetlands studied were low in organic matter content relative to natural counterparts. We conclude
that thirty years after restoration, these wetlands do not provide the water quality functions of their natural
counterparts.
Keywords: Wetlands, soil organic matter, soil development, water quality.