UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF RESTORATION

The term restoration is used in many ways; however, it normally implie s return to an original state. Tn ecological restoration, it should be thought of as applying to whole ecosystems. It must be remembered tha t options, such as rehabilitation or replacement, exist that may be mo re practicable than restoration. The components of restoration are the chemical and physical aspects of the habitat and the species themselv es. Each of these may require specific treatment, but natural restorat ive processes should be used wherever possible; in fact, natural proce sses may be sufficient once the degrading influences have been removed . Because the process of restoration is progressive, the criteria of s uccess are not easy to define. The most important point is that ecosys tem development should be on an unrestricted upward path. From this, i t follows that successful restoration is a serious test of our ecologi cal understanding.