This Blog will help you to learn about the concept of Restoration ecology. First of all we will discuss the term Restoration and then we will learn what is Restoration Ecology and Purpose of Restoration Ecology. Secondly, we will discuss some Environmental issues that need Restoration. At the end we will discuss some Restoration practices to restore our environment. This blog will describe Restoration Ecology and Environmental issues in detail.
What is Restoration?
Restoration is the act of process of returning something to its earlier good condition or position, or to its owners. Some similar words of restoration are renew, revive, reestablish etc. These words indicates renewing any destroyed or damaged thing like it was before when in its original and best version. We can apply restoration in every field of life and on everything. Restoration helps us to reuse or utilize damaged systems and products in their best version again by transforming them from worst to best. Restoration is the only way to enjoy the facilities that are damaged. In the present era, our environment need restoration at a great level. Because we have destroyed every Earth system and land with industrial activities, Enhanced Green House Gases emissions, Deforestation and other anthropogenic activities that are harming our environment.
What is Restoration Ecology?
Restoration ecology is a study of restoring current ecosystem into a restored or rehabilitated ecosystem by applying restoration practices to that ecosystem.
This applies a broad range of scientific disciplines to understand the outcomes of restoration practices that can include reforestation, dam removal, oyster restoration, wetland restoration etc.
It supports natural recovery processes.
It makes sure the recovery of an ecosystem that has been damaged, degraded or destroyed.
Human Activities have been causing destruction of natural ecosystems at a great extent since the Industrial Era has started.
Some of the human activities that harm natural ecosystem are:
Burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, water pollution, air pollution, land pollution, over-extraction of biological resources and much more.
Restoration ecology demands implementation of the rules, regulations and decision made by the experts in order to save the environment and natural ecosystem.
Purpose of Restoration Ecology:
The purpose of the field of restoration ecology, is to restore the ecological resources and systems on Earth. This will help to restore the damaged Earth systems and help in Natural Resources Management. It also helps in preservation and conservation of important natural resources. It will help in the avoidance of potential environmental issues that are causing all types of pollutions and health issues for humans and other living organisms on Earth. These all factors are deteriorating the living quality of species that lives on the Earth. The restoration practices will help us to create a clean and pure Earth for our next generations. This will balance the impacts of environmental degradation and the restoration practices to avoid further damage to the Earth.
Environmental Problems:
We are facing many environmental problems that need restoration practices. People including us should immediately start restoration activities before its too late. We are always at the threat of extreme climate change that is causing sudden changes into our weather conditions and environment every year. This drastic change is causing many damages to life on Earth. Here we will discuss the Environmental Issues that can be addressed by Restoration Ecology. Following are some of the potential environmental issues that needs restoration:
• Deforestation:
Deforestation is the cutting down of the trees for industrial and commercial purposes. This phenomenon is causing drastic tree cover loss globally. This also contributes in CO2 concentration in environment and is a main reason for Global warming.
• Depletion of natural resources:
Depletion of natural resource is overextraction or overuse and wastage of naturally supplied resources. These resources are limited so we have to do something for their long life. If we will not help in reducing the depletion of natural resources, they will be finished soon.
• Damage of natural water resources:
Natural water resources includes wetlands, lakes, rivers, ponds, sea and ocean. Their damage is very common now a days. Water resources contains many valuable animal and plants species that are essential for our environment and it is our duty to restore them.
• Dam construction:
Dams are constructed for the generation of electricity by hydropower. Dams are economically beneficial but cause many damages to the environmental organisms and land. Dam construction is limiting the breeding of fishes and they are getting extinct and endangered.
• Destroyed specie corridors:
Specie corridors are ways specialized for the transport of the animal species from one place to another. These are being destroyed for commercial and construction activities. Specie corridors helps species to prevent their extinction and to travel freely.
• Ocean Acidification:
Ocean acidification is the process in which ocean’s pH becomes acidic due to excess CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. This is increasing with GHGs emissions. Excessive CO2 is increasing the temperature as well as it is destroying natural aquatic ecosystem.
• Melting of Glacier:
Great Ice sheets and huge glaciers are melting on an exponential rate every year life never before. This is causing reduction in Earth’s albedo and warming the Earth. This contributes in global warming and the only way to control it is to decrease average temperature of the Earth.
• Sea level rise:
The melting of glacier is causing very fast sea level rise and the coastal areas are under threat of floods. This is the result of Global Warming. Sea level rise will soon take the coastal areas into the sea and it will lead to great economic and life loss globally.
• Ozone depletion:
New technologies and gadgets such as air conditioners are producing CFCs and other toxic gases that are depleting the ozone layer. This is a serious issue because ozone layer is getting thinner every year. This is increasing warming every year and is the cause of many disease and disturbances in environment.
• Enhanced Green House Gases Emissions:
Industrial Processes and fossil fuel burning has lead to enhanced Green House effect on earth by producing GHGs. This is warming our earth and increasing average temperature. We have to find alternatives for reducing the GHGs emissions.
•Reducing fertility of the soil:
Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides is causing the natural fertility of the soil to decrease at a great extent so the land is now totally dependent on fertilizers and their natural systems are damaged. We are already facing food insecurity globally due to this threat.
• Desertification:
Chemical use on land is leading to transform the fertile land into barren land causing the desertification of land. A large global agricultural area has become desert in last decade. Deserted lands are water deficient and we cannot use them again for agricultural purposes.
These are the environmental issues that are in need of restoration practices to restore the natural systems.
Restoration Practices:
The most important part of restoration ecology is the restoration practices and their implementation. Without implementation, this field feels like nothing. We will discuss, that how Restoration Ecology can be used to solve Environmental Issues. Following are some of the important restoration practices for restoration of ecosystem:
1.Reforestation:
Reforestation is the process of replanting the trees where harvested in the past. It will recover the shortage of biological resources. Then in few years they will be back to the nature.
2.Afforestation:
Afforestation is the process of planting trees at a place that was not a forest in the past so it will work as a new habitat for animals and will help restoring biodiversity in that location.
3.Wetland Conservation:
Wetland contains a lot of biodiversity at a single site and they play a very important role in providing security to the animals by providing them food, shelter and a secure habitat. So wetland conservation play a vital role in restoring ecosystem. They also treat contaminated water.
4.Sustainable use of Biological Resources:
As we know that biological resources are available for humans in bulk amounts. But for their long-term use and benefits, we should use these resources in sustainable manner and use them wisely to make them available for future generations.
5.Use illuminated Balloon:
Using illuminated balloons will increase Earth‘s albedo effect by reflecting rays of the sun back to the atmosphere so this will prevent temperature rise on the earth and work in place of melting glaciers.
6.Add Nutrients to the Ocean:
Adding nutrients to the ocean will protect coral reefs. Also other aquatic species that are disturbed by ocean acidification. It can also change ocean composition for better.
7.Dam Removal:
We should remove the dams at the places where they are harming the specie corridors between areas. They also act as a hurdle in nutrient and food transfer from one area to another for aquatic species and replies.
•Some other restoration practices includes:
Maintenance of water reservoirs, fish farms, shift to green technologies, sustainable use of all types of natural resources etc.
Conclusion:
Restoration ecology works for the restoring of ecosystem against natural climate change and industrial activities. Making restoration strategies is not the whole process but, their Implementation and Monitoring is equally important to restore the ecosystem and to reduce bad impacts of human activities and eventually reducing ecosystem and biodiversity loss. All the restoration practices will provide us benefits, but they can also proof themselves more dangerous that the parent issue because eventually the natural environment is disturbed because of these practices. These practices can be beneficial for environment but can be a disaster for some other reasons. We discussed relation of Restoration Ecology with Environmental Issues in this blog.
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