Novel ecosystems: A bridging concept for the consilience of cultural landscape conservation and ecological restoration

MacDonald, Eric; King, Elizabeth G.

doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.04.015

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Other potential desirable outcomes of eco-engineering are highlighted in black boxes. *Eco-engineering enhances biodiversity and ecosystem services only compared to the ecological condition of the same structure without eco-engineering applications habitats for ecological and societal benefit (Milton 2003;Hobbs et al 2006;Macdonald and King 2018). The design of such ecosystems, which integrate human society with the natural environment for the benefit of both, has been labelled ecological engineering (or "eco-engineering"; Odum 1962; Mitsch and Jorgensen 1989;Odum and Odum 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users

et al. 2019

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Coastal urbanisation, energy extraction, food production, shipping and transportation have led to the global proliferation of artificial structures within the coastal and marine environments (sensu "ocean sprawl"), with subsequent loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. To mitigate and compensate impacts of ocean sprawl, the practice of ecoengineering of artificial structures has been developed over the past decade. Eco-engineering aims to create sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with the natural environment for the benefit of both. The science of eco-engineering has grown markedly, yet synthesis of research into a user-friendly and practitioner-focused format is lacking. Feedback from stakeholders has repeatedly stated that a "photo user guide" or "manual" covering the range of eco-engineering options available for artificial structures would be beneficial. However, a detailed and structured "user guide" for eco-engineering in coastal and marine environments is not yet possible; therefore we present an accessible review and catalogue of trialled eco-engineering options and a summary of guidance for a range of different structures tailored for stakeholders and end-users as the first step towards a structured manual. This work can thus serve as a potential template for future eco-engineering guides. Here we provide suggestions for potential eco-engineering designs to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and services of coastal artificial structures with the following structures covered: (1) rock revetment, breakwaters and groynes composed of armour stones or concrete units; (2) vertical and sloping seawalls; (3) over-water structures (i.e., piers) and associated support structures; and (4) tidal river walls.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users

et al. 2019

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“…Nowadays, we use not only objective criteria (high biodiversity, endemism), but also subjective/emotional criteria ("landscape of our grandparents", "wilderness beauty") to positively evaluate the karst landscape [58]. The latter criterion can be seen as a kind of scenario that depicts sustaining of place-specific interactions between humans and nature [59]. In karren habitats, many species actually have high ornamental value, such as Dalbergia mimosoides, Cotoneaster vernae, and Photinia glomerate, which present flowers or fruits in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively, and also exhibit a type of wild beauty and regional identity that is authentic and reminds people of the memory or history of a site.…”

Section: Implications For Planting Design and Management In The Karrementioning

confidence: 99%

Karren Habitat as the Key in Influencing Plant Distribution and Species Diversity in Shilin Geopark, Southwest China

Zhang

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Karst rocky desertification (KRD) is one of the biggest challenges in the karst ecological restoration of Southwest China, and a thorough understanding of the plant community characteristics in various karren habitats provides a basis for mitigating KRD and restoring the degraded ecosystem. To improve our knowledge of the detailed characteristics and impact mechanisms of karren habitats on the species distribution and species diversity patterns of woody and herbaceous plants to benefit sustainable management and planting design for revegetation establishment in the karst region, a field investigation was carried out in the natural restoration vegetation of Shilin Geopark. The results indicated that karren habitats apparently determine the species diversity and composition. At the arbor layer, the habitat with the highest α diversity was solution corridor (SC), and at the shrub layer, grikes (GR) were the karren habitats with the most diverse communities. At the herb layer, solution rock debris (SRD) showed the highest richness of herbaceous species. The karren habitat features and topographic factors significantly influence plant α diversity and distribution. Soil area (SA) and canopy density (CD) were the dominant factors influencing plant diversity at the arbor, shrub and herb layers, soil thickness (ST) was significantly effective at the arbor and herb layers. Karren habitat height (KHH), litter thickness (LT), and slope gradient (SG) were significantly influential at the herb layer. The impacts of the karren habitat width (KHW), slope aspect (SAS), and SG on woody species distribution were significant. Knowledge obtained from this study will be helpful guidance for future sustainable restored vegetation design and management with high biodiversity and regional characteristics in the karst area of Southwest China and other fragile karst ecosystems in the world.

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“…For example, the Oostvaardersplassen rewilding project used taxonomically substituted species that were carefully selected to restore habitat to the desired historical state of mixed open forest/grassland (Vera 2009; Hayward et al 2019). Yet, the historical influence of human actions on most landscapes can create uncertainty over what historical benchmark to aim for in both rewilding and restoration projects (Lorimer et al 2015; Macdonald & King 2018).…”

Section: Indistinguishable Attributesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are novel ecosystems the only novelty of rewilding?

Klop‐Toker

Clulow

Shuttleworth

et al. 2020

Restoration Ecology

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Since the introduction of the term "rewilding" in 1998, several definitions have been proposed, sparking debate around terminology and how (or if) rewilding differs from restoration. Many papers attempt to distinguish between the two terms through a series of descriptive attributes: historic baselines, landscape-driven transformation, ongoing human intervention, the connection of people with nature, and the creation of novel ecosystems. Here, we discuss the overlap between these terms and illustrate that the creation of novel ecosystems provides the clearest distinction between rewilding and restoration. If the definition of rewilding is distilled down to its most unique component, the creation of novel ecosystems, perhaps scientists can then work to produce a clear framework for rewilding that is based on best conservation practice.

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Novel ecosystems: A bridging concept for the consilience of cultural landscape conservation and ecological restoration

Cited by 24 publications

References 81 publications

Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users

Design catalogue for eco-engineering of coastal artificial structures: a multifunctional approach for stakeholders and end-users

Karren Habitat as the Key in Influencing Plant Distribution and Species Diversity in Shilin Geopark, Southwest China

Are novel ecosystems the only novelty of rewilding?

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