Restoration ecology is a young field that integrates theory and knowledge from a range of disciplines, including the biological, physical, and social sciences as well as the humanities. This new textbook, written for upper-division undergraduates and first-year graduate students, offers a real-life introduction to the field and an interdisciplinary overview of the theory behind it. Developed by ecologists and landscape architects, each of whom has been involved in restoration research and practice for many years, the focus of the book is on providing a framework that can be used to guide restoration decisions anywhere on the globe, both now and in the future. The text is organized around a restoration process that has been tested and revised by the authors in their restoration ecology courses taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison over the past thirty years. Each chapter includes a series of 'Food for Thought' questions that both help students review concepts and put them to work in solving conservation problems. The framework is designed to work with the uniqueness, uncertainty, messiness, and constraints inherent in any real-world restoration project.
Success in ecological restoration requires not only technical proficiency but also skill in the social, cultural, and political arenas. "Introduction to Restoration Ecology" can help students develop the skills they need to succeed in all of these areas and is a much-needed new resource.