1	CONSERVATION RESTORATION & REVITALIZATION Conservation is moving from preservation toward active restoration of ecological function. Species in natural communities are impacted by a wide variety of human activities.
2	Reading Assignment Chapter 55 focuses on a ‘preservation’ point of view, but introduces restoration. ‘Ecological Restoration’ has become a business activity. Money for restoration is generated from wetland protection laws as well as local government and individuals.
3	Knowledge vs. Existence Species exist independent of humans naming them and describing them. A viewpoint common among ecologists that species can only be ‘saved’ if people plan for their existence (p1265, 1269). Species did not come into being because of people. Will attaching a label contribute much to a species persistence?
4	Conservation’s Assumption The ‘default’ assumption of conservation is that excluding human activity by labeling land as a ‘preserve’ is necessary and sufficient to maintain the assemblage of native species. In general, nature is dynamic and sensitive to subtle environmental change, so preservation has not worked well.
5	Seven Deadly Sins that affect Biodiversity Overexploitation (regulate hunting, fishing, trade) Introduced species (destroy small infestations) Pollution (ban toxic products) Global warming Habitat destruction (preserve land for nature) Habitat fragmentation (preserve big pieces) Domino effects
6	Habitat Fragmentation The species that are found in a unit of area, say 1 ha, are influences by the areas that surround that ha (surroundings are often referred to as the matrix). A piece surrounded by natural area is much more likely to maintain the historical species of an area. This is known as fragmentation effect.
7	Ecological Restoration Ecological Restoration attempts to restore attributes of ecological function/services. Perhaps the earliest restoration of ecological services was wastewater treatment. Wastewater treatment concentrates the oxidation of waste to reduce the BOD of the water entering the river, lake or ocean.
8	Other Early Ecological Restoration Promotion of services and knowledge to reduce soil erosion. Development of stocking programs for fish and game. Regulations concerning restoration of condition of land after strip mining.
9	Restoring Function To restore a structure (e.g., a painting or a house) we fix or rebuild parts. To restore function: It is desirable we understand function, It is desirable we have the necessary parts, It is desirable we understand causes of change in function. As a goal directed activity, ecological restoration is a human activity.
10	Pollution Regulation Individuals and corporations may engage in activities that spoil the future environment. When they understand the negative impact, the effected individuals may lobby for regulations (laws) to minimize the impact. Originally people dumped waste as a way to dispose of it. Regulations protect the population from these chemicals by controlling disposal and making it safer.
11	Examples of Anthropogenic Impacts Changes in climate are now receiving most attention, but Major changes in the environment have occurred in last hundred years: Strip mining Impervious surface growth (roads & roofs) Farmland loss to residences and commerce New chemical compounds Wetland loss through drainage The consequences of changes may not be manifest until many years after the event.
12	Revegetation of Mines The development of vegetation on the overburden can be greatly accelerated in various ways. Revegetation of strip mines is now a requirement in all jurisdictions. Understanding how to do that effectively is part of restoration.
13	Impervious surface growth Impervious-to-rain surfaces: primarily parking lots, roads, and roofs, Cover more than 35% of the area of urban areas Parking lots and roads have all been developed in the last 100 years. Impervious surfaces increase flooding and reduce the amount of water entering the soil.
14	Farmland loss Farms not only produced the food we need, they also do better at some ecological functions than residential/urban areas. (Farms also create fertilizer problems.) Once land is developed, it can’t be returned to effectively grow food in the future (without large amounts of energy input or waiting a long time).
15	Wetlands Wetlands are very important to natural communities – ‘hotspot’ of diversity Currently policy of US government is ‘no net loss’ of wetlands. Development of land with wetlands requires payment of $ to build wetlands off site (or a plan to retain wetland on site). $ have generated a mitigation industry.
16	Restoration of species Many animal species have been restored to areas from which they had been extirpated. Deer in Cook and other counties of NE Illinois. Turkey in many parts of Illinois. Peregrine falcon in Chicago. Some animal species have been lost, others are just “hanging on” Prairie chicken is ‘hanging on’ in Illinois.
17	Endangered and Threatened Species Endangered Species Act passed in 1973. US Fish and Wildlife Service has responsibility for designating species as Endangered or Threatened. Endangered means in imminent danger of going extinct. Threatened means likely to become endangered. Applies to taxa lower than species.
18	Basis for Listing How is a species determined to be endangered or threatened? Small population size. Found in only a few places. >30% decline in the last 10 years or 3 generations. The E&T list dominated by taxa which always had a limited distribution often associated with special habitat, such as caves.
19	IUCN The World Conservation Union http://www.iucn.org/ Maintains a “Red list” of the extinction status of many animal taxa (all vertebrates plus others) Species Survival Commission Specialist Groups within SSC, e.g., the shark group
20	Illinois Endangered and Threatened Species Protection Board Illinois maintains a list of E & T species The list is dynamic. Additions I was involved in the successful effort to add Franklin’s Ground Squirrel. Removals River otter, slender wheat grass, and many others
21	RECONSTRUCTION One restoration activity attempts to build native communities on land that was farmed. These efforts have focused on prairies. They also focus on plant communities. Prairie reconstructions tend to have much more grass and taller plants than original prairie. Most prairie species are not present in most reconstructions.
22	REVITALIZATION Preservation of land is not sufficient to maintain natural communities. Biological pollution = invasive species. Altered hydrology, especially roads. Altered natural event regimes (fire, floods). Actions by naturalists can counteract or ameliorate the negative impacts on natural communities generated by human activity.
23	VOCABULARY Fragmentation Strip mine Revegetation Reconstruction Revitalization Extirpated Restoration Endangered Threatened IUCN