Dead planet, living planet

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Restoration is not a substitute to conservation, but if done with adequate planning and multi-stakeholder involvement, can provide an effective tool for restoring lost ecosystem services. The result should also provide great returns on these investments. However, there are examples where restoration projects have failed or resulted in new problems such as introducing pests or invasive species. The guidelines in this chapter are aimed at reducing these risks.

Various guidelines for restoration projects have been devel- oped, including strategies from the Society for Ecological Res- toration (SER) International (SER, 2010). While such guide- lines are available, it is imperative to stress the importance of stakeholder involvement and particularly raising the awareness of services provided by the ecosystems and the current and fu- ture costs associated with their degradation and ultimate loss. It is essential to raise awareness among the general public, policy makers and environmental managers on the crucial role ecosystems and biodiversity play in providing ecosystem ser- vices. This includes a particular focus on water filtration and supply, waste water cleaning, flood and storm barriers, polli- nation, nutrients, pest- and erosion control, food security and public health and poverty alleviation. It is imperative that awareness is raised in relation to the costs associated with ecosystem degradation, lost labor productiv- ity, lost incomes from tourism and increased expenses in production. As many ecosystems are already degraded to some extent, of the cost-savings, benefits and not the least potential solutions to common political challenges that restoration can contribute to. Already at this stage it is important to consider the stake- holders involved.

If this awareness is available as the basis for decision mak- ing – the actual implementation process also requires direct considerations, which will vary highly from each specific site, case and stakeholders involved: This includes (adopted from SER, 2010): Conceptual planning identifies the restoration project site, specifies its current state of health and the goals of restoration, and provides relevant background information including stake- holder involvement. Conceptual planning is conducted when restoration appears to be a feasible option but before a final decision has been made to exercise that option. Conceptual planning provides preliminary information on the habitat or ecosystem such as the identification of stressors, the extent/ health of its connectivity to the larger landscape, the need for engineering and biotic interventions, and representative mea- surements and surveys. Preliminary tasks are those upon which project planning de- pends. These tasks form the foundation for well-conceived restoration project design. Preliminary tasks include the docu- mentation of existing site conditions (biotic and abiotic) includ- ing baseline measurements, the establishment of a reference model to guide the project work towards its intended goals, planning for experimental plots within the large project, and the appointment of a project manager and team with expertise

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