Valuation of Nature in Conservation and Restoration

Valuation of nature is an important aspect of nature conservation and restoration. Understanding valuation in a broad sense may contribute to conservation strategies since it may lead to better support from society. In this article we propose a model of valuation with respect to conservation and restoration of nature. According to the model, valuation of nature can be characterized by a “valuation approach,” consisting of ecological, ethical and aesthetic perspectives. Such an approach includes scientific and normative aspects and leads to a particular claim of conservation. In this paper we discuss different perspectives, and accordingly, we sketch three main types of these valuation approaches. Political and policy issues with respect to nature conservation and restoration are considered in terms of this model.     

Restoration Ecology: Repairing the Earth's Ecosystems in the New Millennium

The extent of human‐induced change and damage to Earth's ecosystems renders ecosystem repair an essential part of our future survival strategy, and this demands that restoration ecology provide effective conceptual and practical tools for this task. We argue that restoration ecology has to be an integral component of land management in today's world, and to be broadly applicable, has to have a clearly articulated conceptual basis. This needs to recognize that most ecosystems are dynamic and hence restoration goals cannot be based on static attributes. Setting clear and achievable goals is essential, and these should focus on the desired characteristics for the system in the future, rather than in relation to what these were in the past. Goal setting requires that there is a clear understanding of the restoration options available (and the relative costs of different options). The concept of restoration thresholds suggests that options are determined by the current state of the system in relation to biotic and abiotic thresholds. A further important task is the development of effective and easily measured success criteria. Many parameters could be considered for inclusion in restoration success criteria, but these are often ambiguous or hard to measure. Success criteria need to relate clearly back to specific restoration goals. If restoration ecology is to be successfully practiced as part of humanity's response to continued ecosystem change and degradation, restoration ecologists need to rise to the challenges of meshing science, practice and policy. Restoration ecology is likely to be one of the most important fields of the coming century.     

Science, Art, or Application—the "Karma" of Restoration Ecology

The present state of restoration ecology is far away from Bradshaw’s “acid test for ecology.” The conclusions drawn from the series of papers in this issue and from the Jena workshop suggest some directions in which the field may progress. More attention must be paid to the degraded state, which should be evaluated by its specific features and carefully analyzed before any restoration plan is laid down. Restoration goals have to be realistic, which includes the appreciation of globally changing conditions, resulting in a paradigm‐shift toward “forward‐restoration.” Basically, the transition from the degraded state conditions to the target state is a kind of succession that is manipulated by the application of goal‐orientated and system‐specific disturbances. Whenever possible, restorationists should step back and make use of naturally occurring succession, which requires a sophisticated restoration strategy, involving flexible management responses, multiple alternative target states, robust measurements for the restoration progress, and careful long‐term monitoring. The unique feature of restoration ecology is the involvement of socioeconomic decisions, and conceptual frameworks for ecological restoration have to implement the specific links to natural succession. To bridge the gap between ecological theory and on the ground restoration, it is essential that restoration practice is translated into the vocabulary and thinking of basic ecology. If all these aspects are integrated, ecological restoration as an application—and restoration ecology as an applied science—may develop into an acid test for our understanding of interactions between people and their environment, rather than for pure ecology.     

Recommendations for Integrating Restoration Ecology and Conservation Biology in Ponderosa Pine Forests of the Southwestern United States

Over the past century, ponderosa pine–dominated landscapes of the southwestern United States have been altered by human activities such as grazing, timber harvest, road building, and fire exclusion. Most forested areas within these landscapes now show increased susceptibility to stand‐replacing fires, insect outbreaks, and drought‐related mortality. Recent large wildfires in the region have spurred public interest in large‐scale fuel reduction and restoration programs, which create perceived and real conflicts with the conservation of biodiversity. Conservation concerns include the potential for larger road networks, soil and understory disturbance, exotic plant invasion, and the removal of large trees in treated areas. Pursuing prescribed burning, thinning, or other treatments on the broad scale that many scientists and managers envision requires the reconciliation of ecological restoration with biodiversity conservation. This study presents recommendations from a workshop for integrating the principles and practices of restoration ecology and conservation biology, toward the objective of restoring the composition, structure, and function of dry ponderosa pine forests. Planning on the scale of hundreds of thousands of hectares offers opportunities to achieve multiple objectives (e.g., rare species protection and restoration of ecological structures and processes) that cannot easily be addressed on a site‐by‐site basis. However, restoration must be coordinated with conservation planning to achieve mutual objectives and should include strict guidelines for protection of rare, declining, and sensitive habitats and species.     

Restoration and the Origins of Ecology

Ernst Haeckel is well known for originating the science of ecology to describe the study of the relationships among organisms and their environment. This short article reflects on some of Ernst Haeckel’s ideas on the role of humans in nature and the relation between art and nature to point out affinities of Haeckel’s ideas to tighten the connection between today’s science and practice of ecological restoration.     

You Can't Not Choose: Embracing the Role of Choice in Ecological Restoration

From the moment of its inception, human choice about how to treat the environment is a key part of ecological restoration. Because many, if not most, restoration projects require continual management once established, human choice remains a vital component of restoration projects for their entire life. But ecological restorationists often downplay the role of choice in restoration, partly because we see the choice to restore as obvious and inherently good and partly because we feel the restoration of more natural conditions for a habitat will lessen the impact of human choice over time. Some critics feel the role of human choice in restoration degrades the value of restoration. However, another response to human choice in restoration is to embrace choice, even with the problems it brings, and use choice as a way to more fully engage humans with the environment. If such choices are approached carefully, with recognition of the potential for poor choices, then restorationists can arrive at restorations that are better for both the environment and us.     

Some issues and options for the conservation of native biodiversity in rural New Zealand

Summary For the 70% of New Zealand under private ownership, native biodiversity conservation has to occur within a landscape that must also provide a productive return to land owners. Recent New Zealand legislation, especially the Resource Management Act 1991, promotes sustainable management on private land by allowing for the economic and cultural well-being of local communities while providing for the protection of natural resources including native biodiversity. We suggest that, to effectively conserve native biodiversity in rural landscapes, we need to consider four key issues: (i) what might be realistic goals for native biodiversity conservation; (ii) how might we better arrange different land uses to meet both native biodiversity and production goals; (iii) what is the optimum arrangement of native biodiversity; and (iv) how native biodiversity conservation can improve productive returns to land managers. Options to enhance native biodiversity conservation include a variety of incentives (e.g. management agreements, financial incentives and regulatory systems) and onsite management options (e.g. remnant management, restoration plantings, weed and pest control, use of native species for commercial and amenity purposes, use of exotic species to facilitate native biodiversity). The importance of taking a landscape-based rather than a paddock-based approach to management is emphasized.     

Restoration of degraded lands through bioenergy plantations

Land degradation has become a worldwide problem. Increasing population, the conversion of forest land into cropland, and its gradual degradation due to unsustainable agricultural practices have led to this prevailing scenario. Unsustainable agriculture practices like use of chemical fertilizers for increasing crop productivity (recorded 281.75 lakh tonnes in the year 2010–2011) also leads to degradation of land. A total of 4.1 million hectares of culturable wasteland was recorded in the same year. Also, crude oil consumption is increasing at a rate of 1.7% which prompts for massive input of crude oil. Thus, biofuel plantations have recently attracted a lot of attention because of several advantages that they present. The genetically engineered bioenergy crops can help in land restoration by increasing the soil fertility, growing in stress conditions, and they also lead to the production of fuels through their various parts. The use of genetically engineered bioenergy crops will not only help in the prevention of degraded land but also yield biofuel as a product and enhance soil fertility and health for further sustainable agricultural practices.     

德国生态网络构建方法及多层次规划研究

生态网络作为德国自然保护领域的重要战略,在《联邦自然保护法》中占有重要地位。在由联邦自然保护局资助的多项研究项目中,德国逐渐形成了一套较为成熟、统一的生态网络构建方法及技术标准,并成为各州及地方开展生态网络规划的技术框架。德国的生态网络规划强调在跨国、国家、州及地方各个层级之间的实施和并在落实方法上积极探索了自然保护与空间规划两大政策领域间的整合。通过介绍德国生态网络的相关政策、构建方法、跨界合作以及在各州及地方的实践等,以期能为中国的生态网络规划与建设提供借鉴。     

干旱区土地利用方式对沙漠化土地恢复能力的评价

研究结果表明,土地利用方式和人为生产经营活动方式及干扰程度对荒漠化土地的恢复和重建有很大影响,草田轮作地的土壤有机质（5.908g/kg)和全P（1.095g/kg)含量最高,分别是荒漠地和果树地的10.2,6.1倍和1.6,1.4倍,全N量以牧草地最高,分别是其它地类的2.7-1.6倍,林地有机质含量仅次于草田轮作地和农地,荒漠地土壤营养元素最低,果树地和林地的微生物以细菌为主,分别占微生物总量的58.0%和48.1%,牧草地以固氮菌为绝对优势,占微生物总量的51.1%,农地的放线菌多于牧草地,林地,果树地和荒漠地,荒漠地土壤微生物数量最低,农地对土壤的细化作用大于牧草地和林地,开发区经过15a治理后,植物多样性指数和均匀度分别由0.981和0.319提高到1.825和0.483。优势度由0.708降到0.552。     

Isolating the role of soil resources,defoliation, and interspecific competition on early establishment of the late successional bunchgrass Festuca campestris

Native grasslands are valued for biodiversity and supporting dormant season grazing, but are prone to invasion. In western Canada, revegetation of Festuca campestris grasslands may be hindered by Poa pratensis, an invasive grass. To determine the competitive interaction of these species during establishment, two greenhouse experiments were conducted where F. campestris seedlings were planted in monocultures or mixtures with P. pratensis. The first experiment used equal‐aged (3‐month old) seedlings of both species, while the second experiment used unequal‐aged seedlings (4‐month‐old F. campestris and 2‐month‐old P. pratensis). Seedling performance was measured in response to manipulations of water and nitrogen, defoliation, and plant neighbor. While water and nitrogen reduced the biomass and vegetative reproduction (tillering) of F. campestris, exposure to P. pratensis most strongly limited the growth of F. campestris seedlings regardless of other treatments. More frequent and consistent decreases in F. campestris due to P. pratensis were observed in older F. campestris seedlings than younger seedlings. Defoliation also reduced the growth of F. campestris, and the added presence of P. pratensis during defoliation further enhanced these reductions in younger, equal‐aged bunchgrass seedlings. Overall, these results suggest that when restoring native F. campestris grasslands, early establishment may be improved by reducing the negative impacts of P. pratensis, and avoiding severe defoliation.     

Multifunctional use of a natural resource on farmland: wild pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) management and the conservation of farmland passerines

Current rural development policy encourages farmers to adopt multifunctional use of farmland. Non-agricultural resources such as wildlife provide a focus for recreational activities such as shooting and bird watching. This paper assesses the potential contribution of wild pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) management for shooting to the conservation of farmland passerines. Bird numbers were monitored over a 7-year period on farmland in Leicestershire (England), in relation to the introduction of a game management system. Passerines were used as the indicator group as they are an official quality of life indicator, and include species that are the subject of government biodiversity action plans. Following introduction of the game management package, there was little change in species diversity at the farm scale, but species experiencing population declines nationally showed significant increases in numbers. The management of wild pheasants for shooting may therefore have considerable potential for the conservation of nationally declining farmland birds and for recreational activities such as bird watching.     

氧化锆全瓷修复与金属烤瓷修复在前牙牙冠延长术后冠修复中的应用效果比较

目的:比较氧化锆全瓷修复与金属烤瓷修复在前牙牙冠延长术后冠修复中的应用效果及安全性。方法:选取2016年7月~2018年7月我院收治的择期行前牙牙冠延长术后冠修复的患者80例(共97颗上颌牙),采用随机数字表法将患者分为两组,对照组40例(48颗患牙)采用金属烤瓷修复,观察组40例(49颗患牙)采用氧化锆全瓷修复。比较两组患者的牙体修复效果和牙周修复效果,治疗前后龈沟出血指数(sulcus bleeding index,SBI)、松动度(movable degree,MD)和菌斑指数(plaque index,PI)的变化以及不良反应的发生情况。结果:治疗后,观察组临床治疗总有效率显著高于对照组(87.76%vs.70.83%,P<0.05);观察组患者的边缘密合度、牙体折损、牙体颜色和牙龈健康状况均显著优于对照组(P<0.05);两组患者治疗后的SBI、MD和PI均较治疗前显著下降,且观察组以上指标显著低于对照组(P<0.05)。观察组患者不良反应发生率显著低于对照组(P<0.05)。结论:氧化锆全瓷修复用于前牙牙冠延长术后冠修复的临床效果显著优于金属烤瓷修复,且安全性更高。     

The Landscape Ecology of Tropical Secondary Forest in Montane Costa Rica

Multinomial logistic models of land use/land cover in montane Costa Rica and landscape pattern analysis showed that relative to agriculture, secondary forest occurred closer to old-growth forest, further from roads, in forest reserves, and at higher elevations. Collinearity between explanatory variables yielded simple multivariate models; proportion of surrounding old growth predicted secondary forest most accurately. An old-growth matrix [mean patch size (MPS) 24.5 ha], located mainly within protected areas, dominated elevations greater than 2500 m. A matrix of agriculture (MPS 23.5 ha), with smaller patches (approximately 9 ha) of secondary forest and old growth, dominated elevations from 1500 to 2500 m. Combining secondary forest with old growth decreased forest patch number and increased MPS from 7.3 to 37.1 ha. I concluded that: (a) secondary forest pattern is nonrandom, so ancillary data will aid its mapping with satellite imagery. The variables elevation, agriculture distance, road distance, and population density distinguished secondary forest from old growth with 74% accuracy; (b) socioeconomic and biological forces probably interact to create these secondary forest patterns; and (c) the strong association between secondary forest and old growth supports the concept that tropical forest recovery depends on the landscape structure of remnant forest. Received 16 February 1999; accepted 20 August 1999.     

Freshwater Habitat Restoration Actions in the Pacific Northwest: A Decade's Investment in Habitat Improvement

Across the Pacific Northwest (PNW), both public and private agents are working to improve riverine habitat for a variety of reasons, including improving conditions for threatened and endangered salmon. These projects are moving forward with little or no knowledge of specific linkages between restoration actions and the responses of target species. Targeted effectiveness monitoring of these actions is required to redress this lack of mechanistic understanding, but such monitoring depends on detailed restoration information—that is, implementation monitoring. This article describes the process of assembling a database of restoration projects intended to improve stream and river habitat throughout the PNW. We designed the database specifically to address the needs of regional monitoring programs that evaluate the effectiveness of restoration actions. The database currently contains spatially referenced, project‐level data on over 23,000 restoration actions initiated at over 35,000 locations in the last 15 years (98% of projects report start or end dates between 1991 and 2005) in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Data sources included federal, state, local, nongovernmental organization, and tribal contributors. The process of database production identified difficulties in the design of regional project tracking systems. The technical design issues range from low‐level information such as what defines a project or a location to high‐level issues that include data validation and legalities of interagency data sharing. The completed database will inform efficient monitoring design, effectiveness assessments, and restoration project planning.     

Restoration of coastal dune slacks in the Netherlands

In order to stop the continuous decline of typical dune slack communities along the Dutch coast, restoration projects have been carried out since 1952. Restoration measures consisted of re-introducing traditional management techniques in dune slacks, such as mowing, grazing and sod removal, or constructing artificial dune slacks to compensate for lost biodiversity elsewhere. An analysis of successful and unsuccessful projects showed that constructing new dune slacks was not very successful for maintaining new populations of endangered dune slack species, since such projects were often carried out in areas where seed banks were depleted, while hydrological conditions and seed dispersal mechanisms were sub-optimal. The construction of sand dikes to prevent sea intrusion in large beach plains was, unintentionally, a temporary success for the establishment of many Red List species, although such measures often disrupted natural dune slack formation. Successful sites were all characterised by a regular discharge of calcareous groundwater provided by local or regional hydrological systems, where not very long ago populations of typical dune slack plants were present. Under such conditions, sod removal was a successful measure to create pioneer stages which were relatively stable, due to a very slow accumulation of organic matter in the topsoil. It is argued that new and more flexible coastal defence strategies can provide new opportunities for natural and relatively stable pioneer stages of dune slack formation, suitable for the long term preservation of endangered dune slack species.     

The Disconnect Between Restoration Goals and Practices: A Case Study of Watershed Restoration in the Russian River Basin, California

Over the past two decades, watershed restoration has dramatically increased internationally. California has been at the forefront, allocating billions of dollars to restoration activities through legislation and voter-approved bonds. Yet, the implications of restoration remain ambiguous because there has been little examination of restoration accomplishments and almost no analysis of the political context of restoration. This article addresses these gaps, utilizing a case study of the Russian River basin in Northern California. We identify trends that shed light on both the ecological and the political implications of restoration at a basin scale by examining a database of 787 restoration projects implemented in the Russian River basin since the early 1980s. Although a total of over $47 million has been spent on restoration in the basin, dominant forms of restoration are limited in scope to small-scale projects that focus on technical solutions to site-specific problems. The majority of restoration efforts are devoted to road repair, riparian stabilization, and in-stream structures, accounting for 62% of all projects. These types of projects do not address the broader social drivers of watershed change such as land and water uses. We suggest that restoration can become more effective by addressing the entire watershed as a combination of social and ecological forces that interact to produce watershed conditions.