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Changing Nature: Novel Ecosystems, Intervention, and Knowing When to Step Back

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Sustainability Science

Abstract

Climate change, species invasions, and changes in social practices and cultural beliefs about nature are creating new ecosystems, some of which have no apparent roots in the past. The emergence of hybrid (familiar ecosystems with new combinations) and novel (unfamiliar) ecosystems challenges conventional ecological restoration practices, which places reliance on robust notions of historical fidelity. There is an extent to which the science and practice of restoration can be adapted to cope with significant change and discontinuities, but beyond a certain point, yet unknowable, it may be necessary to look ahead to emerging practices that blend the important qualities of restoration with wild or regenerative design.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I prefer the term, “novel,” since the implication is that not only are ecosystem components and processes new but the challenges for ecological restoration are also new.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Social Sciences and Math Building B243, 3800 Finnerty Road (Ring Road), Victoria, BC, V8P 5C2, Canada

    Eric Higgs

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  1. Eric Higgs
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Correspondence to Eric Higgs .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studie, Montclair State University, Montclair, 70803, New Jersey, USA

    Michael P. Weinstein

  2. Louisiana State University, Nicholson Extension, Baton Rouge, 70803, Louisiana, USA

    R. Eugene Turner

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Higgs, E. (2012). Changing Nature: Novel Ecosystems, Intervention, and Knowing When to Step Back. In: Weinstein, M., Turner, R. (eds) Sustainability Science. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3188-6_18

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