The Conflicting Discourses of Restoration

Abstract

T he last two decades have seen an explosion of philosophical, scientiÐc, and techni ± cal discussion of restoration. However, scholars have given little systematic atten ± tion to the empirical study of the place of values in restoration activity. T his article is an initial e †ort to Ðll the empirical gap, and to suggest how an understanding of the values of individuals involved in restoration projects can advance the develop ± ment of restoration theory and practice. W e employ Q ± methodology to identify four restoration discourses held by restorationists. W e show that restorationists value restoration in di †erent ways, and that these discourses reÑect the scholarly debates over the utility of restoration.

Urban river design and aesthetics: a river restoration case study from the UK

“…Such discussions have overwhelmingly focused on making ontological claims about 'nature' and 'culture' (e.g. Elliot, 1997;Jordan III, 2003), or producing assessments about the ways in which different interested parties understand, interpret, and contest 'ecological restoration' from a values perspective (Adams et al, 2004;Buijs, 2009;Gobster, 2001;Woolley & McGginnis, 2000). Nonetheless research on the River Skerne in particular, and ecological restoration in general, has largely neglected the role of different forms of value in the actual implementation of a given restoration project, from initial design through to delivery and subsequent after-care.…”