Linking Restoration and Ecological Succession (Springer ... - Inecol

172 Richard J. Hobbs et al.
These questions involve consideration not only of scientific knowledge about
the biophysical characteristics of the area, but also of local knowledge, “folk
wisdom,” and knowledge of indigenous people. Such nonquantitative knowledge
may, and perhaps should, play an essential part in formulating the goals
and determining the methodologies of the restoration project.
In many cases, the failure to use appropriate local and or scientific knowledge
in restoration activities is due to a lack of communication between the theoreticians
and the practitioners. Many practitioners may not realize such knowledge
exists or have not even heard about historical land management practices or successional
principles. Such knowledge, when couched in the context of helping
to define and set restoration targets, can sometimes be productively assimilated
into practical restoration activities.
8.6 When Should Restoration Occur?
This question relates to the timing of restoration efforts, both in terms of when
the restoration should commence and when during the restoration further interventions
are likely to be needed. The first simple answer to the question
“When?” is “The sooner the better.” It is much easier to maintain functioning
systems than to repair damaged ones, and it is much more effective to repair
damage early than to wait until things degrade further. This is particularly true
in the face of mounting evidence that many systems are subject to threshold
phenomena which involve sudden, nonlinear change from a less-degraded to a
more-degraded state (Mayer and Rietkerk 2004, Suding et al. 2004; see Chapter
7). Such change is often difficult to reverse without costly intervention.
Assessing the relative vulnerability of ecosystems to disturbance or land-use
change can help prioritize which ecosystems need the most urgent attention, a
job usually completed by land agencies.
The temporal aspects of restoration are numerous, and are intimately tied to
successional processes. Temporal issues of restoration vary from the practicalities
of ensuring that planting and seed sowing are carried out in the correct
seasons to allow for germination and growth, to problems created by a run of
dry or wet seasons and concerns over changing regional or even global environmental
conditions at increasing temporal scales. This mix of timescales is
also important when one considers the long-term implications of short-term
actions. For instance, what long-term impacts will result from the introduction
of a particular species to the system? A key element is to decide how and when
short-term interventions will either set the system on the desired trajectory to
the goal that has been set or will lead it off in another direction, perhaps with
less desirable outcomes (see Chapters 3 and 6). This decision is also important
in considering the way we measure the progress of the restoration. Many
restoration projects require clear “completion criteria.” In reality, it may take
decades or centuries to reach the desired goal, but in the meantime, we have
to make decisions on whether the course of development is appropriate and
heading in the right direction.
An important aspect to consider is the effective monitoring of restoration
projects to ensure progress toward a desired outcome is being achieved.
Monitoring is also tied heavily into the process of adaptive management. Without
effective monitoring, it will not be possible to assess whether any remedial
or other management interventions are needed. While the need for effective