Environmental Restoration!
“Environmental Restoration is the deliberate attempt to speed recovery of damaged areas.” (Bainbridge)
This could be to restore the natural ecosystem or structure so the environment will endure. Environmental Restoration could include a number of different ways to return the area to its former state. This could be by removing invasive species that damage the area by choking out other plants and animals and disrupting the community and reintroducing native species. It could also include undoing things that has changed the shape of the environment like damming major waterways or replanting where there has been clearcuts.
Invasive species are a huge problem. These species, also called exotic species, are introduced into ecosystems where they are not native. Often this means that their natural environmental controls (climate or predators) are non-existant in the new ecosystem. The result is that they can take over, out-competing native species and running unchecked. Their dominance can cause the extinction of native species from the area and lower species diversity in the area.
Many invasive species are brought in deliberately for gardens, landscaping or agriculture.Perhaps when you are planting your own garden, you can check to see which plants are on the no-no list and see if you can plant native plants instead.
Common Invasive species in the Willamette Valley:
- Nutria (beaver-like mammal)
-Himalayan Blackberry
-English Ivy
Kallen is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biology and Journalism at the University of Oregon and, of course, writing a blog.
Chicago said,
March 10, 2008 @ 3:24 pm
English Ivy?
The discriminating gardner knows that Boston ivy makes for the most beautiful gardens:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrigley_Field#.22Beautiful_Wrigley_Field.22_.281932-1981.29
Jim said,
March 13, 2008 @ 9:58 am
I have had to do a lot of manual and mechanical eradication/ control of English Ivy in the Eugene, Coburg, Junction City area. It is horribly invasive, changes forest understory characteristics, and robs native plants nutrients and light. Terrible stuff, especially when it escapes from someone’s yard, which it often does. I wish more people understood just how damaging English Ivy is to natural systems into which it is introduced.
Taylor Dewey said,
March 13, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Here is a link to a list of all the invasive plants in the US seperated by each state:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver
I couldn’t find one off hand for animals.
lk said,
March 13, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
What really gets this stuff going is when the birds (usually the also non-native european starlings) eat the berries of the mature ivy, and himalayan blackberry up in the trees …fly around doing their birdy doo-doo thing and then we have blackberry and ivy vines where no “discriminating” gardener ever intended. Yeah. it’s green, but that isn’t the only measure of healthy. Look carefully at a stand of Doug Fir that is engulfed in ivy. Sad.