Linking restoration ecology and ecological restoration in estuarine landscapes

Abstract

More than ever, there is a need to integrate restoration ecology, as practiced by the scientific community, and ecological restoration, a province that is largely, but not entirely the purview of practitioners. Success in some coastal restoration projects is increasingly measured in the context of practioner skills and cultural goals rather than by the manifestation of underlying ecological principles and mechanisms in the restoration process. Especially in human-dominated landscapes, restoration practices should attempt to balance human needs with those of extant biota in a consensus based combination of restoration ecology and ecological restoration criteria. The goal is to devise plans at the appropriate scale that allow humans and other biota to share space and resources in an increasingly complex landscape. No matter where restoration takes place, both ecological fidelity (in ecocentric terms) and human dimensions (in anthropocentric terms) must comprise the restoration design, but ultimately in proportion to human density in the landscape. Without this integration, compromise, and balance, restoration will not likely prosper in the mainstream of society.