To intervene or not to intervene? Alternatives that ecological restoration teaches us to ally ourselves with nature

The degradation and destruction of many ecosystems in the world has accelerated the environmental crisis due to the rapid reduction of the multiple ecosystem services they provide to us. Some of the most essential for life - no matter how strange they seem to us - are the infiltration and production of water, the fixation of CO2, the cycling of nutrients, soil productivity, biodiversity, the prevention of erosion, among many other benefits (Vargas, 2011), can you imagine living without them?

The rate of destruction of all ecosystems continues to grow rapidly due to unsustainable agricultural, livestock, industrial and exploitation practices, together with the aggravating factor that many ecosystems present and will present due to unfavorable variations generated by global climate change. In the last ten years, interest in ecological restoration, because it is increasingly evident and remarkable that we must act to stop the degradation around us. Different private and government institutions, universities and non-governmental organizations have encouraged the implementation of this type of project, however, one of the current problems for the development of ecological restoration “It is the lack of dissemination of practical experiences that help in the formulation of objectives and strategies of restoration in the different ecosystems that we have” (Vargas and Mora, 2007).

Faced with this situation, ecosystem management through conservation and ecological restoration is gaining strength day by day as solution to reverse processes of degradation, and of accelerated loss of biodiversity and its environment. “It is no longer enough to conserve and protect representative areas“ Vargas and Mora (2007) mention, but we must learn to “restore entire landscapes -as well as their connectivity-, ecosystems, communities and populations of organisms, to ensure the sustainability and functionality of our natural, semi-natural and social systems, and in this way, ensure the availability of environmental services”, which, as already mentioned, maintain life as we know it (Vargas, 2011). Méndez-Toribio and collaborators, adding to this same idea, comment on the matter: “the relationship between conservation, biodiversity and ecological restoration is More and more evident every day. The functioning of ecosystems can only be sustained in time and space if there are biodiversity values; on the other hand, ecological restoration is only possible if large areas of original ecosystems are preserved where the full potential of species is expressed on a local and regional scale. Ecosystem conservation and biodiversity restoration are processes that go hand in hand.“.

Before giving a definition of ecological restoration as such, it is necessary to consider some concepts that can help us to improve your understanding:

1. Ecosystems regenerate on their own when there are no obstacles to prevent this regeneration. This process is known as passive restoration (natural succession) and refers to the fact that if in a degraded ecosystem we eliminate the stressors or disturbances that prevent its regeneration, it will be restored by its own means (one way to do this is to fence off an area of activity and let the passage of time heal it). At Toroto, we execute projects in which actions are carried out that promote passive restoration; by maintaining a close and direct relationship with the owners of the land, we are able to stop and mitigate the obstacles that affect the ecosystem and its succession process in a natural way. Let us remember that the success of a project of this type depends on its socialization, that is, involving the local community and explaining why passive restoration will always be a good practice to truly allow the ecosystem to recover on its own. If livestock farming is a stressor, it would be a mistake to only fence off the area of activity and not communicate it to the community. Mutual agreements must be reached on the understanding of the initial reasons.

2. When ecosystems are severely degraded, they cannot regenerate on their own. This happens because regeneration occurs very slowly and its natural dynamics stop; therefore, it is necessary to implement strategies and actions to achieve its recovery, which is called active restoration or assisted (directed or assisted succession). In the active restoration is it necessary to help or Redirect to the ecosystem to ensure that recovery processes can be developed in their different phases and to overcome obstacles that prevent succession and regeneration. In different projects in Toroto, we carry out prior management and authorization by the land owners to implement a series of works and various actions, such as nature-based solutions, that promote and promote favorable conditions to activate the resistance and resilience of the ecosystem, and thus achieve its recovery and regeneration.

Now, what then is ecological restoration alone? What does it involve? The International Society for Ecological Restoration (TO BE, by its acronym in English) defines it as”the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed“(SER, 2004). In other words, it is the practical effort to re-establish the possible trajectories of a region's historic or native ecosystems. It seeks to recover the natural dynamics that must be aimed at recovering the structure, function and composition of past species, according to the current conditions in which the ecosystem to be restored is located (SER, 2004).

Once the concept has been explained in a more comprehensive way, we can understand these two ways of doing restoration (passive and active), which, although they differ in their management and management, are consistent in the method. For which ecological restoration projects passive or activates have greater impact and efficiency, more planning is required. For this reason, within the projects we carry out in Toroto, it is of the utmost importance to identify The causes of degradation in the first instance (which always leads us to a close collaboration and exchange of knowledge with the owners of the land), then there is the establishment of a baseline (or reference ecosystem, a term that we will explain later) as well as the prioritization of the sites to be restored after managing territorial analysis, and finally, always taking into consideration The impact of climate change in projects.

Knowing the causes of degradation also leads us to know the initial state, that is, how the ecosystem was before it was violated. At that specific time, we call you reference ecosystem. Why is it important to have a reference ecosystem for any ecological restoration project? Because it allows us to establish and generate a baseline that acts as The starting point of the ecosystem and the project, and in the same way, it serves us to Evaluate success of restoration in terms of established goals. Let's give an example to further clarify this concept: suppose that we are in a region where the vegetation natively consisted of pine and oak forest. Currently, a significant part of the town is under pressure from livestock, so that only a few trees are able to establish themselves. Let's also suppose that the inhabitants of the town want to recover some of those forests that they enjoyed when they were younger, as well as the services they received from them, so they decide to implement an ecological restoration project. The reference ecosystem in this case will be that pine and oak forest that used to grow natively, and restoration actions will be focused on directing the current ecosystem until it reaches the reference ecosystem, or as close to it as possible. The important thing to note here is that this transformation that occurs from a native ecosystem to a degraded one and then from a degraded one to a native one, allows us to identify in depth the causes and appropriate corrective measures to reverse or stop the initial damage.

After the example above, the following question may arise: is restoration the same as reforestation? The difference between reforestation and restoration is that reforestation is generally carried out with species of high economic value and fast growth, which do not always meet a nativity criterion, so we can find exotic species that threaten to become invasive. Often, conventional reforestation responds to a vicious cycle where species are used, that is, they are deforested again, and then start afforestation again and so on; in this way, the recovery of functions in the ecosystem is not allowed. In contrast, ecological restoration goes far beyond just planting trees, it is a carefully planned, executed and monitored process (Méndez-Toribio et al., 2018), since it is aimed at the complete recovery of functions, attributes, conditions, ecological processes, as well as the structure of the ecosystem that has been violated. Restoration is usually done with local native species That they are adapted to the environmental conditions where they are going to be introduced, because this ensures that survival is more optimal (Ibid.).

At Toroto we execute projects whose main objective is ecological restoration of ecosystems, because we rely heavily on this alternative. Following the bases described above, it is important to us that our projects are the most complete and robust when it comes to restoration; likewise, with the help of nature-based solutions, we make this process as natural and easy to assimilate as possible by the ecosystem. Finally, beyond the enormous theoretical and practical field behind ecological restoration and its different implementation models -which could sometimes sound overwhelming- what is really important here is to note the tool of adaptation and reach that is related to the climate and environmental crisis that is affecting our planet; the capacity of ecological restoration to restore functionality and resilience in the long term, as well as the important social and collaborative component involved, because restoring an ecosystem is also restoring the fabric social care for those who care for and live with it, makes it a solution of great transcendence and great adaptability. Whether the ecosystem requires minimal intervention or a planned and robust intervention in nature-based solutions, this is a cutting-edge tool capable of recovering life on our planet.

Implementing an ecological restoration project has many benefits that go beyond the environmental aspect; if your company needs to mitigate emissions in its value chain, or any operational process involves the use of natural resources, write to us; working hand in hand with ecosystems ensures a future for all.

About the author:

Armando is Operations Coordinator in Toroto. He is an Agricultural Engineer with a Master's degree in Forest Sciences. He has worked in agencies such as SAGARPA, CONAFOR and in forest inventories. He is passionate about forests, forestry and good forest management.

References:

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