Restoration Ecology
Around the world, habitats are being severely degraded and overexploited-forests are being clear-cut, wetlands are being drained, and land-use patterns are changing to accommodate suburban sprawl, agriculture, and mineral extraction. Nowhere is this more evident than in southeastern Ohio where forests were destroyed to accommodate agriculture, and agricultural areas were subsequently destroyed by extensive surface-mining for coal. While subsequent efforts at reclamation were largely successful at restoring ground cover, controlling erosion, and providing areas for recreational activity, questions remain as to the biological functionality of these areas. What appears to be “green and lush” to the casual observer, may instead be an area of decreased biological diversity, with assortments of invasive species, and may not be returning to a functional ecosystem.
 The landscape of the Wilds has undergone a series of major transformations, from the open surface mining to the reclaimed grasslands and now areas are being converted to healthy, high diversity meadows. |
The landscape of the Wilds has undergone a series of major transformations, from the open surface mining to the reclaimed grasslands and now areas are being converted to healthy, high diversity meadows.
Restoration Ecology is a process of repairing damage caused by natural or anthropogenic forces to the diversity and dynamics of indigenous ecosystems. The science of Restoration Ecology is focused on developing the tools and practices necessary to help rehabilitate impaired ecosystems and return them to a level of greater ecological function. To achieve this, an interdisciplinary approach is necessary which incorporates several areas of study including hydrology, soil science, plant and animal ecology, forestry, conservation biology, and landscape ecology. Because it is difficult to predict exact outcomes, restoration ecology in itself becomes an actual experiment. This experiment in community reassembly gives us the opportunity to effectively raise questions and ideas about ecological systems and how they work as we work on their recovery. Rather than detached observations and analyses, it is an active science and process that moves beyond description of nature into the actual diagnosis and treatment of ecological disorders. It is also important to understand and integrate the role of human influence on ecosystem change and future recovery. The science and technology of restoration are still in its early stages. There is a need to refine and further develop the principles and practices of restoration so that we may better understand its various biological and non-biological aspects. The Wilds provides an ideal “laboratory” for these studies.