THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION

2005 The World Conference on Ecological Restoration 41
tially, we need to overcome the ideology that our interaction with nature is simply assisting or facilitating
the recovery of natural processes. Our restoration management adds to extant natural processes and
thus, we inadvertently become an additional player in the system structure. Restoration models need to
recognise the trophic roles of our participation in the natural system and the ecological consequences of
our management actions on the other biotic and abiotic components. To this end, we may develop more
accurate conceptual models and gain insight for improved ecological restoration practice.
Keywords: Ecological restoration, ecology, people, assistance, interaction.
Challenges and prospects for sustainable development and restoration in arid
and semiarid areas.
Burmil 1 S., Z. Naveh 2
1 Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29631
2 Technion, Haifa, Israel
More than half of the earth's land surface is defined as arid and semi-arid, yet, their share in the global
population and political power and economics is much smaller. Arid and semi-arid landscapes pose particular
challenges as well as prospects for sustainable development and restoration. These areas share
some common characteristics such as limited resources (e.g., water and productive soil) and high spatial
and temporal variability in resources and conditions. While many of the characteristics can be individually
found in other areas, their co-occurrence in arid and semi-arid areas can be defined to be unique.
The recognition of the differences between arid and semi-arid landscapes is important for sustainable development.
Sustainable development and restoration means wise use of resources for the benefit of present
and future generations. Wise use also implies making the best use of existing local resources rather
than wasting resources in efforts for large scale landscape transformations. The survival of healthy
human communities in these areas depends also on preventing the rise in global temperature. Knowledge
and understanding of the specific characteristics in these areas and adapting appropriate policies to
enhance prospects rather than expensive landscape transformation efforts are critical. The challenge for
sustainable development should also include empowering local communities, respect and protect their
traditional ways of life and ensure their participation in the development. The differences between arid
and semi-arid landscapes, the need for careful adaptations of policies and technologies as well as economic
and cultural processes to the ecological processes, will be the focus of this paper.
Keywords: arid and semi-arid areas, sustainable development, policies.
Multiple scale assessment for planning the ecological restoration of the Middle
Ebro floodplains
Cabezas 1 A., F.A. Comín 1 , E. González 1 , B. Gallardo 1 , M. García 1 , J. Guerrero 2
1 Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología-CSIC. Avda. Montañana 1005. Apdo. 202. 50080 Zaragoza. Spain
2 Servicio Provincial Medio Ambiente. Dpto. Medio Ambiente-DGA. Pza. San Pedro Nolasco. Zaragoza. Spain
The ecological restoration of ecosystems can be planned at different spatial scales depending on objectives
and facilities for implementation. Small scales can be useful for patch or reach approaches. Assessment
at large scale is necessary for planning restoration at large scale. A multiple scale assessment can
be useful for planning the ecological restoration at large scale while providing the ecological requirements
for efficient restoration at smaller scales. A landscape scale assessment of land-use changes of the Middle
Ebro floodplain was done from comparison of aerial photographs different decades during the second
half of the XXth century. Lack of longitudinal and transversal continuity of natural ecosystems is a common
fact in all the floodplain. Also, accelerated silting of ox-bow lakes and loss of connectivity are observed.
These changes are related with intensive use of the flood plain for agricultural purposes, establishment
of dikes at the river shores, decrease of average river water flow and disrupted water regime of
the river. Disrupted patterns of spatial plant distribution were observed in spectral transects of plant diversity
measured in three different parts (proximal, central and distal) of different groves of the floodplain,
and were related to human intervention (poplar plantations for wood production, controlled grazing
by farm animals, and gravel extractions). Light extinction through the air column in woods and soil organic
matter show differences at patch scale related to the physical structure of the woods and to the use
of the soil for different purposes, respectively. Results from this multiple scale approach can be assembled
to plan restoration at different spatial and temporal scales. In order to set up plans and goals for
ecological restoration at large floodplain scale, water river flow and regime are key factors to be considered
as increasing water connectivity is an essential characteristic to be recovered for efficient restoration
at large scale. At grove scale, increasing connectivity and/or controlled plating, together physical design