Establishing Reference Models for Ecological Restoration—Case Study from Colorado National Monument, USA
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Restoration practitioners specify targets for what the ecosystem will look like to reach recovery goals. Targets may be influenced by the level of degradation, surrounding landscape conditions, societal choice, and a changing and uncertain climate regime. The Society for Ecological Restoration’s International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration recommends that targets be informed by reference models of site conditions that include biotic composition, environmental setting, and dynamic processes—had anthropogenic degradation not occurred—while accounting for anticipated change. Models optimally reflect a variety of information sources and are based where possible on multiple reference sites of similar native ecological conditions. Using a project site from Colorado National Monument, we illustrate a stepwise process for compiling and synthesizing map, text, and tabular information from reference materials and sites. Reference materials include multiple ecosystem classifications and site inventories to describe composition, structure, and dynamics of the target ecosystems. An ecological integrity framework aids in identifying key ecological attributes and indicators for site measurement. Climate change vulnerability assessment specifies risks to anticipate, while adaptation frameworks point to appropriate strategies. By systematically utilizing existing frameworks and available data, practitioners can streamline the establishment of reference models for ecological restoration.
Source: Land
DOI: 10.3390/land14091871
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
Funder: National Park Service
OpenAlex ID: W4414209362