Principles of restoration ecology relevant to degraded rangelands.

Abstract

The main task of rangeland restoration seems to be one of repair, or reassembly, of damaged landscapes and biota, but in fact, managers and scientists must assemble entirely new communities of plants and animals. The goals of particular restoration projects vary greatly, although they often contain the same set of potentially incompatible qualities, that is, the new community may be required to be selfsustaining, stable, minimally disruptive to native biota, and yet produce a high yield of introduced animals. Ecological principals, theories, paradigms, and current ideas which may be usefully applied to restoration projects are discussed, as well as a general protocol to use in conducting restorations. Mychomzae (special fungi on plant roots), natural seed banks in the soil, and colonizing abilities of plants are important considerations in the establishment of vegetation. Understanding the behaviour of species and species interactions is necessary (but not sufficient) in order to formulate 'rules' for constructing communities of plants and animals which would be self-sustaining, stable, minimally disruptive to native biota, and yet produce a high yield of an introduced animal. Knowledge of succession, ecosystem processes, and the importance of spatial relationships of food and habitat for animals are all potentially applicable to restoration of rangelands. The application of ecological principles to restoration work has the advantages of efficiency of trials, generality of results, and an enhanced public image. In return, restoration work is the acid test of ecological science, that is, whether it provides the knowledge and understanding to recreate a new, functional, stable community. It also provides scientists with the opportunity to conduct large-scale and long-term tests of ecological theory, impossible in most other research projects.