Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. It seeks substantial recovery of native biodiversity, ecological structure, and functioning, rather than simply improving the appearance or productivity of a site. Restoration encompasses deliberate human interventions and the natural processes they enable. It is distinct from restoration ecology, the scientific field that investigates ecosystem recovery and supports restoration practice. The Society for Ecological Restoration distinguishes restoration—the activity—from recovery, the ecological outcome sought or achieved. (doi.org)
Scope and related practices
Ecological restoration complements conservation biology by repairing damaged systems, while conservation also protects existing ecosystems from further deterioration. Restoration can take place in forests, grasslands, inland waters, coastal environments, and marine habitats. Its defining objective is recovery of a native ecosystem, not merely the provision of a particular benefit. (doi.org)
The broader term ecosystem restoration, used by the United Nations, encompasses a continuum of restorative activities. These include rehabilitation of transformed landscapes and improvements in ecosystem services, even where comprehensive recovery of native ecological composition is not the principal goal. Pollution remediation, rehabilitation, and ecological restoration can therefore overlap within a project without being equivalent. Removing contamination, for example, may enable recovery but does not by itself establish a functioning native ecosystem. (decadeonrestoration.org)
Reference ecosystems and objectives
Restoration planning commonly uses a reference ecosystem to develop a model of the ecological condition being sought. This model combines evidence from suitable reference sites, historical records, surveys, and other ecological information. Multiple sources are preferable because no single surviving site necessarily represents the full range of species, structures, and processes appropriate to the restoration area. (doi.org)
A reference model is not necessarily a reconstruction of one fixed historical moment. Ecosystems change through ecological succession, natural disturbance, and environmental variation. Models must account for climate change and differences between early recovery stages and long-term objectives. An old forest, for instance, can inform an eventual target without providing a realistic description of a recently established stand. Several recovery trajectories may be plausible. (doi.org)
Project objectives translate the reference model into measurable outcomes. These distinguish the desired ecosystem condition from implementation activities: planting seedlings is an action, whereas successful establishment and continuing regeneration are outcomes. Baseline assessment records the starting condition against which progress is evaluated. (ecosystemrestoration.org)
Methods and ecosystem-specific interventions
Restoration begins by identifying and reducing the causes of degradation. Where recovery capacity remains, reducing disturbance and allowing natural regeneration may be sufficient. This approach is often called passive restoration, although it still requires assessment, protection, and monitoring. In other situations, active intervention is necessary to overcome barriers to recovery. (epa.gov)
In a drained wetland, restoring the movement and availability of water may allow native vegetation to reestablish naturally. Along a river, reducing damaging pressures can permit channel stabilization, recovery of floodplains, and regeneration of the riparian zone. Plant-based engineering techniques can also stabilize banks and limit erosion. Controlling invasive species may be a central intervention where they suppress native recovery; restoration disturbance can itself create opportunities for invasion. (epa.gov)
Restoring a forest involves more than establishing tree cover. It can include native tree planting, natural regeneration, protection of soils and water sources, and conservation of wild plants and animals. Forest patches may also be restored within landscapes containing farms and settlements. The ecological objective concerns the forest community and its supporting environment, rather than tree numbers alone. (decadeonrestoration.org)
Monitoring and adaptive management
Monitoring evaluates whether interventions produce ecological recovery. The Society for Ecological Restoration groups assessment into six attributes: absence of threats, physical conditions, species composition, structural diversity, ecosystem function, and external exchanges with the surrounding landscape or seascape. Its Ecological Recovery Wheel displays progress across these attributes, helping distinguish improvement in one dimension from comprehensive recovery. (ser.org)
Indicators are selected for the ecosystem and project objectives. They may describe native vegetation cover, community composition, decomposition, ecological interactions, or connections supporting gene flow. Measuring species richness alone cannot characterize all these dimensions. Ecosystem functions and exchanges require attention alongside the presence of organisms. (doi.org)
Adaptive management links monitoring to decisions: findings can prompt changes in methods, priorities, or maintenance. Measurements before, during, and after intervention help establish whether goals are being reached and whether further action is necessary. Monitoring must remain feasible and relevant to the questions the project seeks to answer. (epa.gov)
Social context, constraints, and international commitments
Restoration depends on social participation as well as ecological knowledge. International standards emphasize engagement with interested and affected communities and the contributions of Indigenous, local, practitioner, and scientific knowledge. Funding, technical capacity, environmental conditions, and social constraints influence the recovery attainable. Some ecosystems require sustained work over generations; partial recovery may precede more ambitious outcomes. Restoration potential does not justify destroying existing native ecosystems. (doi.org)
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration covers 2021–2030. Under the Convention on Biological Diversity, Target 2 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, inland-water, coastal, and marine ecosystem areas to be under effective restoration by 2030. This means initiating appropriately resourced and monitored recovery activities, not requiring complete recovery by that date. The target explicitly connects restoration with biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity, and connectivity. (decadeonrestoration.org)