EARTH MEANDERS
Dawning of the Age of Ecological Restoration

Dr. Glen Barry, http://www.environmentalsustainability.info/
June 19, 2005

Introduction

Increasingly I am convinced that the Earth and her humanity may overcome
looming environmental crises. Climate awareness and local actions are
proliferating, Brazil is belatedly cracking down on deforestation and
environmental sustainability is again moving to the political front
burner. But the Earth will only be sustained in the long-term if we get
serious now about ending new environmental damage, while restoring
ecosystems that have already been adversely impacted.

Humanity has already destroyed, fragmented and diminished ecological
systems far beyond the requirements for long-term global ecological
sustainability. We have overshot the natural regenerative powers of the
Earth. Thus, the survival of our children and our species depends not
merely upon stopping future damage, but equally upon restoring what
humanity has ripped asunder. This essay heralds and anticipates the
dawning of the age of ecological restoration. Its purpose is not to be a
technical treatise, but rather seeks to establish that widespread embrace
of ecological restoration is a global ecological imperative, while
highlighting the benefits of your potential involvement in ecological
restoration.

Prerequisites to the Age of Ecological Restoration

There are a few broad strategies that must be implemented as prerequisites
and as an ecological foundation to an age of ecological restoration.
Firstly, it is critical that humanity designate global ecological reserves
- terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems that are large, connected,
appropriately located, free from industrial development, and are
sufficient to maintain planetary global ecosystem functions. Indications
are that some one third to one half of global land and marine area must be
maintained in natural ecosystems free from industrial development if the
biosphere is to continue functioning. These areas are large enough to
power global, regional and local ecological patterns and processes; while
serving as models of what intact habitats look like, and how they work,
for coming global restoration efforts.

Further, there can be no Earth to restore unless greenhouse gas emissions
are immediately drastically reduced. The atmosphere is intimately coupled
with oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems. Climate change is but one
example, though currently the most obvious, of too many people polluting
too much. It will not be possible to stabilize the global ecological
system, and benefit from ecological restoration, until policies to
stabilize climate are begun in earnest. The sooner mandatory emissions
targets are in place, and massive investments in energy efficiency and
renewable energy are made, the greater likelihood of maintaining a
workable global ecological system that is stable enough to be restored.

And finally, it is critical that the protection of freshwater and marine
ecosystems be given the urgency they deserve. Deadly water shortages are
likely the next manifestation of global ecological collapse that will be
felt most acutely. Many water sources such as melting glaciers and
underground aquifers are not appreciably replenished. And huge oceanic
areas are becoming "dead zones", virtually devoid of life. Many water
sources and oceans are routinely treated as waste dumps. Freshwater
continues to be squandered on non-renewable and inappropriate uses such as
irrigated agriculture in arid zones. Sources of portable water must be
given the reverence and protection deserved by such a precious commodity.

Environmentalism is not just about saving pretty scenery, plants and
animals. It is about maintaining conditions able to sustain life. Urban
dwellers are far removed from the impacts of their consumption. Climate
change, deforestation, water scarcity, dying oceans and other
environmental issues are symptoms of the same malady - too many people
consuming too much. In seeking to support the massive and still growing
human enterprise, we have surpassed the amount of habitat that can be lost
and waste that can be spewed into the environment, while still sustaining
ecosystems and other species. Human populations must be capped and then
reduced using widely known non-coercive methods.

This essay will take for granted that we have stopped all further
encroachment on natural intact ecosystems - making the world's last great
forests, grasslands, coral reefs and other still fully functional
ecosystems no-go zones to industry. Further, it is assumed that human
population and emissions will be successfully limited, and water and
oceans carefully managed. While at this late date, in terms of human
environmental damage, this will not prove adequate to maintain global
ecological sustainability; it does set the parameters within which we can
reclaim a habitable and functional biosphere through ecological
restoration. Humanity must show that it can stop shitting where it lives,
in order to get on with the task of cleaning up past messes.

This Is the Dawning of the Age of Ecological Restoration

It is time to herald in the Age of Ecological Restoration. Here I will
focus upon the imperative of massive coordinated programs to augment the
Earth's ability to regenerate her biosphere (simultaneous with the above)
based upon the well-established science of restoration ecology. The
biosphere is a narrow band of life encircling the globe, within which
resides self-regulating mechanisms necessary to maintain conditions
conducive for life. However the human enterprise has simply become too
large, and through its activities threatens this biological fabric of
being.

There are already a wide range of activities that seek to reestablish
vegetation, ranging from reclamation of heavily industrially degraded
lands by trying to get anything to grow, to more rigorous reestablishment
of natural plant communities. In recent years, the range of ecological
remediation has become a huge multi-billion dollar industry. However, it
is the more rigorous restoration of natural ecosystems which concerns me
most here. There have been years of scientific experiments and pilot
project into how to restore composition structure, dynamics and functions
of ecological systems - even constructing plant communities from scratch
on degraded land.

It is now time to rapidly increase the extent of ecological restoration
activities in response to looming threats to global ecological
sustainability. To date, the problem with ecological restoration has been
its small scale, failure to catch on as a more widespread component of
environmental sustainability, and a failure to take a landscape approach
which targets such activities to places where they will have the most
impact. The Age of Ecological Restoration will focus upon bringing nature
back into the human fold. While a wide range of activities from
reclamation to fully restoring ecological communities should be embraced -
maintaining natural patterns of species diversity and ecosystem processes
demand that the emphasis be upon the latter.

A program of large and targeted ecological restorations in order to
maximally restore a given landscape and its species and ecosystems rarely
need start from scratch. There exists great potential to target
restoration in order to bring about maximum landscape improvement. Areas
given priority may include helping already existing high-quality fragments
of natural vegetation expand, reconnecting isolated blocks of vegetation,
re-vegetating an important watershed, and willingness of land owners to
participate.

Following initial human colonization, and decades to centuries of
agricultural use, the originally forested countryside in many regions now
contains some 10-20% of a landscape in a still forested albeit degraded
condition. This is not enough to maintain ecosystems or species. Yet even
in these fragmented landscapes, there is much that remains that can be
helped to regenerate. It is important to identify existing seed stocks,
patterns of animal and plant migration, and potential threats to restoring
ecosystems such as invasive plants and human development pressures. One
strategy is to aid these fragmented vegetational stands to expand and
reconnect. This may be as simple as letting the adjacent areas next to the
fragments go fallow - natural plant succession will frequently take care
of the rest.

In other situations, it may be beneficial to actively replant with native
species. This may be necessary when natural seed dispersal mechanisms are
lacking, and to jump start the process by speeding up the re-establishment
of dominant tree species. It is thought that reestablishment of the canopy
structure is a prerequisite for later herb and shrub inclusion. Careful
selection of species, their locations, and their community assemblages; as
well as years of commitment to their care, should lead to new habitats.
Planting native tree species where they historically grew is highly
beneficial to restoring a sustainable balance between pastoral and natural
systems.

There are other considerations when choosing to carry out ecological
restoration plantings. Whenever available and to the extent possible, it
is desirable to use local plant stocks which are adapted to the area. It
is also recommended that the target natural community not be entirely
limited to one time in the past. Given expected impacts upon forests and
other vegetational communities by climate change, it may be desirable to
include species native to adjacent plant communities that are more heat
and drought tolerant. In response to anticipated climate change, targeted
ecological restoration should seek to provide for plant migration routes
to help native plant and animal species move towards the poles.

On My Own Personal Human Restoration

My non-profit organization Ecological Internet has recently launched a new
project called "Land Restore". This project, which is still in its infancy,
will seek to demonstrate some of the principles above, while providing
materials on the Internet regarding ecological restoration techniques and
how to have land placed in conservation easements.

Over the past two months I have planted about six hundred small trees -
and several hundred in previous years. Located in the mesic hardwood
forest zone of Wisconsin, I am planting sugar maples, a variety of oaks
(including some more southern species), white pine and many other local
species that historically were dominant in the forest canopy. Much work
remains past the actual planting - the grass in the abandoned farm field
is tenacious and must be kept at bay. During the first years in
particular, as many trees as possible are watered during dry periods. I am
trying small fences on some of the trees to protect them from deer, which
are overabundant in the area.

Slowly a species rich forest is taking shape. Many trees do not make it -
but enough do to make it worthwhile, and techniques are constantly
refined. My plantings are being supplemented by a wider variety of plant
and animal species that are migrating into the new habitat. These
approximately three acres of restored forest are my way of giving back to
the Earth, which has given me so much. Not only will there once again be a
forest where there used to be, the personal physical and emotional benefits
of restoring your own little portion of Eden are immense as well.

Restoring the land is also a manner to restore oneself. There is great
satisfaction in getting ones hands dirty whole doing right by the Earth.
Like most, my life has not always been easy, and I have made many mistakes
and suffered through pain and disappointment. There is relief from past
abuse, addiction and a failed marriage to be found in restoring the Earth.
After enduring the pain of discovering muscles I had forgotten about, my
somewhat lumpy computer ridden body has a new more svelte image, and I
have more energy. I cannot begin to communicate the ecstatic, healing,
epiphany like experience of raising a new forest - one tree at a time.

Join me in the metaphysical miracle of linking our beings, a small piece
of land over which we have stewardship, and the well being of our
bioregions and ultimately the Earth in all her glory. As the fabric of
life has been torn to pieces, there are many ecological processes that
must be restored. Mechanically bioengineering the Earth's biosphere is not
an option. But you and I together can protect and restore the Earth we
have. Start planning your plantings now - for surely you must participate
early and often in the dawning of the age of ecological restoration!

Earth Meanders is a series of personal essays that place questions of
environmental sustainability within the context of other contemporary
issues. Comments can be made, and past writings can be found, at
http://earthmeanders.blogspot.com/ . Emailed responses will be posted
there as well. Permission is granted to reprint this essay provided it is
properly credited.

Written and networked by Dr. Glen Barry in his personal capacity
GlenBarry@EcologicalInternet.org

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