What
is Ecosystem Restoration? Why is this an
approach NPS uses
We
consider ecosystems broadly as a community
of organisms interacting among themselves and
with
their physical environment; the pattern of
an ecosystem is described by its composition
(e.g.,
number and kinds of species) and structure
(the relative proportions of the species); the
dynamics
of an ecosystem are typically described by
process rates (e.g.; nutrient cycling) and trophic
linkages;
the spatial and temporal boundaries of ecosystems
are determined by the nature of the investigation-that
is, the essential attribute is the "system" that
characterizes patterns and dynamics, not the
locality; thus, a comprehensive lake-ecoystem
study might include the lake itself along with
its catchment basin, nutrient-loading for development,
and distant transport of pollutant into the
lake.
A "boundary" can
still conceptually be drawn around the catchment
basin. In this way, ecosystems can be considered
both spatial (driven by all of the natural
phenomena within designated boundaries) and
functional (identified by the processes such
as fire, or nutrient availability to plants
and "outputs" from the system such
as the amount of plant material or biomass
or sediment from a watershed).
The
NPS goal to do ecosystem restoration then,
is to not only replace parts of a system, such
as grasses that had been removed through grazing,
but conditions that support grasses, such as
soil organisms, and the processes that regulate
grass growth and reproduction, such as the
appropriate number of bison and the appropriate
frequency of fire. (See Picture Below)
Mycorrhizal
fungi extend from roots to provide vital plant
nutrients while binding soil aggregates. (R.M.
Miller) |