Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3287
Title: | Using process-orientated parameters to assess degradation | Contributor(s): | Cummings, Jason (author) | Publication Date: | 2003 | DOI: | 10.1046/j.1442-8903.4.s.11.x | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/3287 | Abstract: | Recent advances in ecological restoration have advocated a process-orientated approach assessing ecological thresholds. Abiotic and biotic thresholds may exist at degraded sites, preventing ecosystem recovery beyond a certain level. Aiming to reinstate primary ecological processes such as hydrological function, energy capture and nutrient cycling, rather than merely composition per se, can more reliably lead to the establishment of self-sustaining ecosystems (Whisenant, 1999). Importantly, abiotic limitations of the degraded environment need to be assessed and addressed before biological restoration can commence (Whisenant, 1999; Hobbs & Harris, 2001). Comparing degraded and undisturbed ecosystems which represent the predisturbance state can give us insights into the level of degradation and allows us to assess the type of management (abiotic or biotic) required. Furthermore, using more than one degraded site or state may allow us to infer specific management requirements more accurately. A step-wise approach could be developed where several ecosystem states are identified and measured. These degraded states, along a trajectory of recovery (or disturbance), then become reference ecosystems for the most degraded sites. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Ecological Management & Restoration, 4(S1), p. 79-82 | Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons, Inc | Place of Publication: | Australia | ISSN: | 1442-8903 1442-7001 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 040399 Geology not elsewhere classified | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 961203 Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest and Woodlands Environments | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
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Appears in Collections: | Journal Article |
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