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 RESTORE is a weekly e-bulletin, published by SER International, linking you to the latest, breaking news stories from around the world keeping you up-to-date on a wide variety of topics related to ecological restoration including the latest funding opportunities. RESTORE is free to SER International members and can be subscribed to for only $20/year by visiting: www.ser.org/content/restoration_network.asp. |
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Get Involved / Community-Based Restoration
Seek Leads to Early Projects and Initiatives for History of Restoration
We are interested in documenting projects that represent early attempts at restoration, as defined by SER, or that are related to this form of land management in interesting ways. We are also interested in initiatives related to the development and application of restoration for environmental, educational or scientific purposes, or its use in landscaping, soil rehabilitation, hydrological management and the like. We are focusing on work in the United States and Canada, but are also interested in projects in other parts of the world that help place this work in broader perspective. We would very much appreciate hearing from SER members who know of projects that might play an important or interesting role in the story we are putting together. If you have suggestions, please contact me at newacademy@comcast.net, 815-337-6896; or George at George.Lubick@NAU.EDU; 928-523-6211.
Wetland Restoration and Wetland Delineation Short Courses
Professional wetland short courses for practicing engineers, planners, scientists, and resource managers at the Heffner Wetland Building at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park, Columbus, Ohio. July 9-11, 2008 (3 days) CREATION AND RESTORATION OF WETLANDS with William J. Mitsch and Roy R. "Robin" Lewis, and August 11-15, 2008 (5 days) WETLAND DELINEATION with Ralph W. Tiner, Mark D. DeBrock, Frank Gibbs, and William J. Mitsch.
http://swamp.osu.edu/ShortCourses/index.html
Summer Field Course in Restoration Ecology
The University of Oregon is taking applications for its summer 2008 field course in restoration ecology. The course offers hands-on experience at ecological restoration projects in Central Oregon. A diverse faculty from the University of Oregon and Oregon State University instruct in restoration methods, invasive species, soils, geomorphology, and philosophy. The course is four quarter-credits, and runs from June 16-27, with final projects due via email on July 7. It is designed for upper-division students (juniors, seniors, and graduated seniors) and entry-level masters students from any academic institution. For more information, including photos, student comments, a sample syllabus, and how to apply, visit www.uoregon.edu/~ecolrest.
Special Webinar with Dean Apostol February 21, 2008
SER International is pleased to present a special webinar with Dean Apostol on Thursday, February 21, 2008, from 12-1pm PST. Relax in the comfort of your office or home for this interactive discussion about "Restoring the Pacific Northwest: The Art & Science of Ecological Restoration in Cascadia." The Cascadia Bioregion of North America is a global ecological "hotspot" because of its relatively healthy native ecosystems, a high degree of biodiversity, and the number and scope of restoration initiatives that have been undertaken there. From coastal estuaries to valley grasslands to montane forests, this area stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Continental Divide.
http://www.ser.org/?RSS=132 |
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People in the News
Shelly Materials, Inc., Receives Award
Employees at Shelly Materials, Inc., an Oldcastle Materials company, Dresden Wildlife Habitat Site received international recognition for their contributions to wildlife habitat conservation at the Wildlife Habitat Council's (WHC) annual symposium, The Value of Green, Shelly Materials demonstrates its commitment to environmental stewardship and increasing native biodiversity by achieving Wildlife at Work certification at the Dresden Wildlife Habitat Site.
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS01/802170353/1002/NEWS01
Alexander gets Restore New Mexico Award
Dennis Alexander, State Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in New Mexico, was presented the Restore New Mexico Award today in recognition of the agency's participation and financial support of landscape-scale restoration efforts across the state.
http://www.currentargus.com/ci_8265811 |
| New Books & Articles
Life Cycle Assessment of Farming Systems
In order to survive and lead fulfilling lives all humans must satisfy certain needs. One of the strategies that people adopt to satisfy their needs is the consumption of a wide spectrum of goods and services which are traded on global and local markets. These different products or services generally have a long story occurring over time and space. It starts with the extraction of raw materials, the production and transportation of the components of the product, followed by the production of the product itself up to its consumption and final disposal or recycling. This story is called the "cradle-to-grave" life cycle. The Integrated-Product Policy of the European Union states: "All products cause environmental degradation in some way, whether from their manufacturing, use or disposal."
http://www.earthportal.org/?page_id=70 |
| Restoring Natural Capital (RNC) |
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Canada: Science/Traditional Knowledge Presentation Upcoming
By weaving together traditional knowledge and western science, researchers Anne Salomon and Sugpiaq Elder Nick Tanape Sr. reveal the roles of natural factors and shoreline harvest leading to recent bidarki declines. Nick and Anne will tell this story in public presentations on Thurdsay evening, February 28 in Skidegate at the Haida Heritage Centre Performing House, and on Friday evening, February 29th in Masset at the Nature Centre at Delkatla.
http://www.qciobserver.com/Article.aspx?Id=3116
Univesity of Oregon Professor Lectures on Marine Ecosystems
On Wednesday, University anthropology professor Jon Erlandson discussed the importance of sustaining the oceans' ecosystem before a crowd of about 20 at the Many Nations Longhouse. The presentation, titled "Fishing the Past to Feed the Future: Archaeology, Historical Ecology, and Restoration of Marine Ecosystems," was part of the series of lectures called "Fireside Conversations on Global Warming" presented by the University's Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program and Environmental Studies program. This particular lecture concentrated on maintaining marine ecosystems by analyzing past cultures.
http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2008/02/15/News/Uo.Professor.Lectures.On.Marine.Ecosystems-3213239.shtml |
| Agro-Ecology
Europe's Growing Demand for Palm Oil
EU politicians should reject targets for expanding the use of biofuels because the demand for palm oil is leading to human rights abuses in Indonesia, a coalition of international environmental groups claimed recently. A new report, published by Friends of the Earth and indigenous rights groups LifeMosaic and Sawit Watch, said that increasing demands for palm oil for food and biofuels was causing millions of hectares of forests to be cleared for plantations and destroying the livelihoods of indigenous people.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb192008/environmet2008021852977.asp
Argentina: Danger in the Fields
The agriculture industry in Argentina is enjoying the boom in demand for soybeans and other commodities and the subsequent high prices, which are also fattening the state coffers. But the question of the unsafe handling of pesticides and fertilisers has basically been ignored amidst the collective euphoria.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41244
India: Shifting/Jhum Cultivation a Major Threat to the Environment
In the Himalayan region of the north east India, the agricultural practice of shifting cultivation also known as jhum cultivation or rotational agro-forestry, prevalent since prehistoric times, is being carried out by Indigenous tribal societies even today. This system often involves clearing of vast areas of land and then burnt down to ashes for cultivation. This same process is repeated every year causing huge deforestation in the region.
http://nefipindia.blogspot.com/2008/02/shiftingjhum-cultivation-major-threats.html |
| Biodiversity & Climate Change
Rome becomes Capital of Biodiversity
Governments alone will not achieve the 2010 biodiversity target. Today, Rome has put its weight behind the 2010 biodiversity target by signing the Countdown 2010 declaration during the opening ceremony of a meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD SBSTTA 13).
Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, Italian Minister of Environment, Land and Sea along with Aldo Cosentino, Countdown 2010 Ambassador and Director General for Nature Protection welcomed Dario Esposito, Councilor for Environmental and Agricultural Policy of the Municipality of Rome in making this bold step and thereby supporting the Italian Ministry in their endeavors towards 2010.
http://www.countdown2010.net/article/rome-becomes-capital-of-biodiversity
Connecticut: Saltmarsh Sparrow May Find Itself In Harm's Way
In the Connecticut State of the Birds 2008 report released last week by the Connecticut Audubon Society, the saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow is named among six threatened species that depend on specific types of habitat in Connecticut for their survival. "This could be the first Connecticut species to go extinct if sea levels continue to rise as they are," said Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation at the Audubon Society. "With global warming and sea-level rise increasing, our coastal salt marshes are at great risk, very great risk."
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=a547c0a4-42ee-40e4-b08c-e3e09ee04525
Audio: Costa Rica Aims to Be a Carbon-Neutral Nation
One of the smallest countries in the world has a big goal. Costa Rica says it wants to be the first developing country to become carbon neutral - that is, to have zero output of carbon dioxide by 2021. But huge challenges lie ahead.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19141333 |
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Australia: Saving Old Forests takes Teamwork
Researchers in Australia and around the world are making progress in understanding old growth forests - but ultimately it's up to the public and managers to decide how much to protect and how to conserve it. That's the view of Dr Tom Spies of the US Forest Service, a scientist long familiar with old growth forests and the public debate surrounding them in Australia and the United States.
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20082002-16921-2.html
Latin America: Deforestation Still Winning
Never before have Latin America and the Caribbean fought so hard against deforestation, say experts and government officials, but logging in the region has increased to the point that it has the highest rate in the world. Of every 100 hectares of forest lost worldwide between the years 2000 and 2005, nearly 65 were in Latin America and the Caribbean. In that period, the average annual rate was 4.7 million hectares lost -- 249,000 hectares more than the entire decade of the 1990s.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41225 |
| Wetland Restoration
Delaware: Once Reviled, Wetlands Awaken to Preservation's Touch
Nick Dilks saw the potential even as he first laid eyes on 1,200 acres of forest west of Georgetown. It had been ditched, drained and cut over. In short, the 1,200 acres purchased late last year by Ecosystem Investment Partners told the story of the toll that land clearing, farming, forestry and development take on Delaware's wetlands. With millions in private investment dollars, the for-profit company plans to restore the land and re-create the significant wetland habitat that was once here.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/NEWS/802170392/1006/NEWS
UK: Get bogged down in Cumbria for World Wetlands Day
The £350,000 restoration of Wedholme Flow was completed last year, which included constructing eight sluices with new walkways over the bog and filling in 4,200 metres of ditches with peat. Key to successful restoration has been improving the water hydrology; controlling and sustaining water levels has helped to support the right kind of vegetation such as sphagnum mosses and cotton grass that indicate peat-forming conditions. Installation of 15,000 metres of low, artificial peat walls, known as bunding, is helping to reduce wave action and create sheltered areas for vegetation to grow.
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71411&Itemid=9
South Carolina: Efforts Begin to Restore Pocotaligo Swamp to Former Glory
The stunted black gum trees anchored in the stagnant waters of Pocotaligo Swamp are just a skeletal picture of what the once-flourishing swamp used to be: a lush, canopied forest full of wildlife. Since the 1950s, logging roads, clear-cutting and development has raised the water in the swamp, throwing the swamp's ecosystem off kilter.
http://www.aikenstandard.com/m1056-BC-SCER-SwampRestoratio-02-15-0625
Texas: More than 3 Million Wetland Acres in Danger
More than 3 million acres of Texas wetlands are in danger of being polluted or destroyed, according to a report from the National Wildlife Federation. The risk, according to the the report released Thursday, is posed by a series of federal policy changes that leave almost no protection for many wetlands and isolated waters, including shallow lakes that often only have water during rainy periods and streams or river headwaters that don't always flow.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5543183.html |
River & Watershed Restoration
Scotland: River Till Reconnected to Floodplain after 50-year Gap
A pioneering project to reconnect the River Till with its floodplain for the first time in over 50 years is under way. Partners in the Fenton Floodplain project met last Tuesday to celebrate the 'turning of the first sod' at the Fenton Centre, near Wooler. It marked the beginning of the second stage of the River Till Floodplain Restoration Project which aims to work with farmers to find a sustainable approach to flood defence by returning land to natural floodplain.
http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/River-Till-reconnected-to-floodplain.3774115.jp
Montana: Local Firm to Remake River Valley
River Design Group, a Whitefish company that oversees river restoration projects across the Pacific Northwest, was recently awarded the implementation contract for restoration of the Milltown Reservoir site east of Missoula. "This is one of the largest projects of this type, possibly in the world," said Matt Daniels, a hydraulic engineer and River Design Group co-owner. "We're completely reconstructing a river valley."
http://www.whitefishpilot.com/articles/2008/02/14/news/news02.txt |
| Desertification & Arid Land Restoration |
| Coastal & Marine Restoration
Kiribati Creates World's Largest Marine Reserve
The Pacific island nation of Kiribati has created the world's largest protected marine reserve, a California-sized wilderness brimming with reefs, fish and birds, conservation groups said on Thursday. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, covering 410,500 square kilometres (158,500 sq m), is one of the planet's last intact coral archipelagos and is threatened by over-fishing and climate change, the groups say.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46960/story.htm
Maryland: Project Aims to Restore Seal Island
In conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a local environmental group is hoping to rescue an island slowly being reclaimed by the Little Assawoman Bay. Seal Island - a seven-acre saltmarsh located just off Fenwick Island - has lost most of its vegetation due to erosion and the feeding habits of snow geese.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/DCP01/80213064/1058/DCP
Resilience Science Is Promising Approach To Marine Conservation
Brown University marine conservation scientist Heather Leslie has explained how the fast-growing field of resilience science can produce more effective ocean protection policies at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Resilience science is the study of how ecosystems resist and respond to disturbances, both natural and man-made. This increasingly influential area of environmental science is affecting marine conservation efforts from the Gulf of Maine to the Great Barrier Reef.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102153.htm
India: Alternative Economic Plans for Poor in the Sundarbans
Undertaken by a Kolkata based non-government organisation, Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS), the Rs 1.15 crore project has a three-year time frame and is entirely funded by ABN AMRO Foundation. The programme, titled Sunderban Lifeline, seeks to improve the living conditions by reducing poverty levels and includes mangrove restoration. Providing basic amenities like drinking water and healthcare to the villagers are also essential parts of the programme. The project has already been initiated in December 2007.
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=23&theme=&usrsess=1&id=191670
India: Relics of the Past?
Mangroves have been protecting our shores from erosion and tidal waves. They enrich the marine life and recharge groundwater. But over-exploitation and neglect has seen their degradation. Unless we act now, it can be too late. The 2004 Tsunami had clearly shown the beneficial impact of mangroves. Six hamlets that had mangroves were left untouched largely! Mangroves with their widespread mat of roots and rhizomes also trap sediments and help land building, preventing shifting of coastline sand. They dissipate winds, tidal and wave energy during storms. With their rich biodiversity of species they also aid fishermen.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb192008/environmet2008021852976.asp |
Wildlife Restoration
Restoring and Increasing Bison Herds on Tribal Lands
Many Indian tribes across the Great Plains and beyond are doing an incredible job - with few financial resources - of restoring bison to tribal lands. Defenders is thrilled to help with these exciting efforts. The Fort Belknap Reservation bison herd was started in 1974 with 35 bison.
Defenders of Wildlife provided funds to add more over the years and purchased supplemental feed during times of drought. Meanwhile, the bison pasture increased from 1,900 acres to 15,000. Knowing that bison and prairie dogs have a long history of mutually beneficial co-existence, tribal authorities granted prairie dogs on the pastures protection from shooting and poisoning, a rare reprieve out West.
http://ravenowl.wordpress.com/2008/02/17/defenders-of-wildlife-bison-in-the-field/
The Art of Using Science to Inform Ecosystem Restoration in Puget Sound
In Puget Sound, scientists and managers must restore endangered orca populations and Chinook salmon populations as they work to restore an entire ecosystem. The needs of these two species present a prime example of how previous single-species strategies do not work in ecosystem restoration. "The orca's main source of food is Chinook salmon. And the whales are suffering from malnutrition," said NOAA Fisheries Scientist Mary Ruckelshaus. "But by increasing salmon production in hatcheries, the whales' appetites may be fed at the expense of recovering wild Chinook. Releasing large numbers of salmon raised in hatcheries can lead to the decline of wild salmon."
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-02/nh-nsa021208.php
French Team to Visit State for Talks on Bear Habitat
Grizzly bears face big challenges in the Lower 48 states, from habitat loss to busy highways to hostile landowners. But that's nothing compared to the struggle of the Pyrenees brown bear, a beleaguered cousin whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than two dozen in the mountains that separate France and Spain. In an effort to learn more about grizzlies' ongoing recovery in the Northern Rockies, a group of French government and wildlife officials will meet with U.S. bear biologists, ranchers, conservationists, Missoula County commissioners and others in Missoula this month.
http://www.missoulian.com/articles/2008/02/18/news/local/news03.txt |
| Extractive Industries
Canada: Most Destructive Project on Earth
Federal and provincial health officials in Alberta are trying to cover up "the most destructive project on Earth," aboriginal leaders said yesterday during the release of a report on the oilsands sector.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=8e411558-3696-4d97-bf28-b900ff42898a |
| Invasive Species
How to Handle an Invasive Species? Eat It
Late last year, a flotilla of fluorescent jellyfish covering 10 square miles of ocean was borne by the tide into a small bay on the Irish Sea. These mauve stingers, venomous glow-in-the-dark plankton native to the Mediterranean, slipped through the mesh of aquaculture nets, stinging the 120,000 fish in Northern Ireland's only salmon farm to death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/opinion/20grescoe.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin |
| Urban Restoration
UK: Green Housing Plans will Fail without more Regulation
The Stamford Brook site also includes the largest river restoration scheme in England, which is transforming a previously canalised and straightened brook into a new 1.8km meandering stream. There is evidence rare water voles have set up home there. But the report says that legal problems in establishing a new urban drainage system to reduce flooding risk must be avoided in future developments if widespread use of such systems is to follow.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/20/housing |
| Recreation & Tourism
California: Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project Underway
Phase I of the project, which includes a redesigned parking lot to capture, treat and infiltrate almost 4 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, is expected to be completed next month. Phase I of the Malibu Lagoon Habitat Enhancement project, a project planned by Heal the Bay and the California Department of Parks and Recreation through a California State Coastal Conservancy grant, is almost complete, with Phase II expected to be finished sometime next year.
http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2008/02/13/news/news5.txt |
| Funding Opportunities
Wyoming's Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust
Returning a river to its natural channel, for example. Redesigning irrigation systems to make them more efficient, or burning prescribed areas to help revive sagebrush, grassland and aspen habitats. The mission of Wyoming's Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust is to help fund projects like these, intended to maintain or improve wildlife habitat and conserve natural resources throughout the state.
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/02/17/news/wyoming/dcb45593d28b4bf5872573f20000b205.txt
US: Program to Help Ohio Watersheds
If you are an agricultural producer interested in wetland restoration within the Tiffin or Blanchard River watersheds, you may be eligible for technical assistance and funding. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program is a voluntary land retirement program within the Farm Bill title that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat and safeguard ground and surface water. Landowners enrolled in CREP receive monetary compensation for helping improve the condition of Ohio's land and water resources.
http://ohiofarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=31993&fpstid=2
UK: £120k Woodland Grants on Offer Closes February 29, 2008
People in Cumbria are being offered another chance to apply for grants totalling £120,000 to help make the region even greener, thanks to a Forestry Commission grant scheme boost. The Woodland Improvement Grant Scheme (WIG) aims to provide landowners with support for improving public access and biodiversity. Projects include work that benefits the environment and the creation of new places for people to enjoy healthy exercise. http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=576639
IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands: Ecosystems Grant Programme (EGP) Closes March 15, 2008
The IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands Ecosystems Grant Programme (EGP) offers grants of up to €85,000 to fund projects of local organizations in the South that link ecosystem conservation and poverty issues. The programme funds proposals from NGOs and focuses on the following regions - West Africa, Central Africa, Southeast Asia (including Papua New Guinea), Mekong Region, Parana-Paraguay River Basin, Guiana Shield Region - but remains open to low-risk, high potential proposals from outside the focal regions.
http://tkbulletin.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/funding-opportunity-ecosystems-grant-programme-iucn-netherlands/ | |
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