THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

2005 The World Conference on Ecological Restoration 37
moval by runoff. Several plant traits relative to seed, root and leaf characteristics were associated to
plant colonisation success on road slopes. Knowledge about the filters controlling road slope colonisation
and plant traits shared by successful species is a guarantee for road slope restoration.
Keywords: colonisation, seed dispersal, environmental factors, erosion, plant functional types, road
slopes.
Public support for ecological restoration in Flanders (Belgium)
Bogaert D.
Arteveldehogeschool Gent, Belgium
In 2002 an interdisciplinary social-legal research project was carried out in four ecological restoration
projects in Flanders, all situated on former intensively used agricultural land. Different standardised interviews
and questionnaires were used to estimate the internal capacity (i.e. responses of members and
co-workers of a nature NGO and the Flanders nature agency) on the one hand and the (lack of) external
support for conservation and restoration measures on the other (including responses from adjacent inhabitants,
day-trippers and farmers). A multi-actor analysis was done. In all cases, a large public support
for nature reserves amongst people living in the neighbourhood and people using the area for recreation
could be observed. The so-called NIMBY-syndrome (Not In My Back-Yard) could not be confirmed.
However, knowledge on the nature reserve and particularly on the accessibility thereof, is an important
factor in obtaining public support. There also exists a large conditional public support amongst all the
categories of respondents for the transformation of agricultural land into nature areas. The most important
condition that was mentioned by all the groups was cooperation with local farmers. There is less
public support from farmers towards ecological restoration than support for classical nature management
measures. An important element in the arguments obtained from the farmers is the different view
on nature between farmers and environmentalists. The lack of knowledge on nature policy and nature
legislation amongst farmers also leads to a lack of public support.
Keywords: ecological restoration, public support, multi-actor analysis, Flanders.
The Price of Ambition
Bond W.H. 1 , H. Bowell 2 , T. Hanks 3 . D. Price 4 , R. Southwood 5
1 Alaska Environmental Contracting Ltd UK
2 RSPB Northwest Region UK
3 STEM, Norfolk, UK
4 Habitat Management, Norfolk UK
In 1999 substantial funding was obtained to undertake an extensive programme of scrub clearance from
the Norfolk Broads in eastern England. Ground conditions are extremely soft and vulnerable, and the
sites are often flooded. The project aimed not only to do the work, but also to develop new and effective
ways of working in such difficult conditions and on a large scale. The chosen contractors spent a lot of
time, money and effort trying to make ‘the ideal system’ work; but after four years the project was way
behind schedule, and the contractors debts were huge. The standards and the costings were too ambitious.
This talk looks at what went wrong, and the lessons to be learned; but has a warming finish, because
at the eleventh hour a compromise on our ideals, permitting a change in systems, has allowed a
dramatic acceleration of progress; a return to profitability for the contractor, and the project is now racing
towards a dramatically successful conclusion.
Keywords: scrub, fen, mechanisation, Broads.
A Big Boy’s Toys – 2005
Bond W.H.
Alaska Environmental Contracting Ltd UK
Ecological Restoration needs tools and equipment, and as the scale of restoration projects grows, so the
equipment needs to keep pace. As standards of work improve, and targets for minimising collateral damage
are raised, so better equipment must be developed. Alaska Environmental Contracting are well
known at home in the UK and abroad for our innovation and adaption to meet these challenges. This
presentation unashamedly relishes in the delights of the ‘big toys’ we are currently using for restoration.
In 2001 it was the light railway extracting timber from wetland that excited people. This year we have,
amongst other things, huge amphibious excavators, all-consuming air curtain incinerators, a paddle tug,