Successful Ecological Restoration Provides Diverse Benefits to Public, Local Government and Industry Tamera Minnick, PhD Colorado Mesa University Grand Junction, Colorado Richard Alward, PhD Aridlands Natural Resource Consulting Grand Junction, Colorado
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Successful Ecological Restoration Provides Diverse
Benefits to Public, Local Government and Industry
Tamera Minnick, PhDColorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, Colorado
Richard Alward, PhDAridlands Natural Resource Consulting
• returning mining [disturbed] lands to pre-mining conditions or to an approved post-mining beneficial use (SMCRA 1977)
• Ecological Restoration
• the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed (SER 2004) Ecosystem Structure
Species & Complexity
Eco
syste
m F
un
cti
on
Bio
mass, N
utr
ient,
& E
nerg
y D
ynam
ics
Goal
Degraded State
Alternative Results
?
Seacoast Watershed Information Manager, modified from Meffe, G.K.,
and C. Carroll. 1997. Principles of Conservation Biology.
Outline• Concepts
• Challenges
• Research Results
• Solutions
• Benefits
Solutions
• Performance-based Standards
• identify goals and objectives to be achieved and describe methods that can be used to demonstrate whether or not products and services meet the specified goals and objectives
• FLANGE MUST SUPPORT 150% OF MAXIMUM ANTICIPATED LOAD UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. TEST RESULTS MUST BE POSTED ON SITE.
• Best Management Practices
• a prescriptive standard, which typically prescribes materials, design and construction methods frequently without stating goals and objectives
• FLANGE MUST BE A SPANDOMATIC MODEL X53009 AND ATTACHED USING A SPANDOTORK MODEL T-9 WELDER OPERATED BY AN ACME CERTIFIED INSTALLER.
Performance-based Standards vs. Best Management Practices
(http://cstools.asme.org)
Solutions
• Increases success rate
• Evaluate success
• Determine desirable and undesirable trends
• Adaptive management tool
• Compare across sites, ecosystems & operators
Quantitative Monitoring & Standardized Reporting
(Schelz, Moran & Alward. National Park Service. 2003.)
(Smith & Chambers. USFS- INT-417. 1993.)
Outline• Concepts
• Challenges
• Research Results
• Solutions
• Benefits
Benefits
Compared to degraded ecosystems:
• Restored ecosystems have enhanced ecosystem service functions
However, compared to reference ecosystems:
• Restored ecosystems are not fully functioning
(Benayas, Newton, Diaz & Bullock. Science. 2009.)
Benefits
• Ecosystem restoration is cost-effective
• woodlands and grasslands are some of the least expensive ecosystems to restore
• based on results from 94 studies around the world, typically < $2,000/ha or $800/ac
• (restoration costs per acre typically higher on smaller disturbances such as well pads)
• Benefits greatly exceed the costs
• Authors assumed restored ecosystems achieve 75% of the value of reference systems