A study by British and Canadian researchers suggests restoration methods of the past cannot necessarily be applied to the climate of the future.
The scientists -- James Harris of Cranfield University, along with Richard Hobbs and Eric Higgs of the University of Victoria -- say ecosystems behave in unpredictable ways, therefore restoration ecologists are often faced with unforeseen challenges.
The researchers see the largest potential challenge is restoring environments undergoing the most rapid rate of change in the Earth's history. That global warming is likely to have important regional consequences for biota and ecosystems.
Ecological restoration, including reforestation and rehabilitation of degraded land, may be a common response to the effects of climate change, but the researchers say the implications of that changing environment must be considered.
They warn using past ecosystem conditions as targets and references might be ineffective under new conditions. In addition, they say there may be less support in the future for longer-term, traditional restoration projects.
The authors suggest "more consideration and debate needs to be directed at the implications of climate change for restoration practice."
The study appears in the June issue of the journal Restoration Ecology.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
Related stories:
As a river runs through it, a Death Valley stream offers insights into flooding and climate change
Death Valley may be known by its three superlatives: hottest, driest, and lowest – as in temperature, rainfall, and elevation in the United States. But it was the flow of water through the National Park that attracted Boston College Geologist Noah P. Snyder to the desert of eastern California.
Earth's reflectivity a great unknown in gauging climate change impacts
Earth's climate is being changed substantially by a buildup of atmospheric greenhouse gases, but a group of leading climate scientists contends the overall impact is not understood as well as it should be because data are too scarce on how much energy the planet reflects into space.
Reflectivity, or albedo, is largely governed by clouds and atmospheric particles called aerosols, but it is one of Earth's least-understood properties, said Robert Charlson, a University of Washington atmospheric scientist. Yet research aimed at quantifying the effects of albedo and helping scientists understand how it could affect future climate change has been delayed or shelved altogether.
New Analysis Shows Important Slowdown in Lake Tahoe Clarity Loss
For the first time since researchers began continuously measuring Lake Tahoe's famed water clarity 40 years ago, UC Davis scientists reported today that the historical rate of decline in the lake's clarity has slowed considerably in recent years.
Bison can thrive again, study says
Bison can repopulate large areas from Alaska to Mexico over the next 100 years provided a series of conservation and restoration measures are taken, according to continental assessment of this iconic species by the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups. The assessment was authored by a diverse group of conservationists, scientists, ranchers, and Native Americans/First Nations peoples, and appears in the April issue of the journal Conservation Biology.
Lincoln Park Zoo launches first-of-its-kind wildlife reintroduction database
On April 15, during the first International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference in Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo announced the launch of a scientific resource called the Avian Reintroduction & Translocation Database (ARTD). The first of its kind, this comprehensive, standardized directory will serve as a valuable tool for wildlife managers and reintroduction scientists.
Specially-designed soils could help combat climate change
Could part of the answer to saving the Earth from global warming lie in the earth beneath our feet? A team from Newcastle University aims to design soils that can remove carbon from the atmosphere, permanently and cost-effectively. This has never previously been attempted anywhere in the world.
Researchers Find Aquaculture Promising Method to Grow Black Sea Bass
Black sea bass is an important recreational and commercial fishery along the Atlantic coast of the US, but landings have decreased in recent decades as the demand for this tasty fish in seafood and sushi markets has risen. In an attempt to meet that demand, NOAA researchers recently evaluated the potential of black sea bass for commercial aquaculture and found promising results.
Conservation strategies must shift with global environmental change, says CU-Boulder study
Sustaining and enhancing altered ecosystems has become the new mantra for conservation and restoration managers as ecosystems continue to change in response to global warming and other environmental changes, says a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.