Spontaneous Succession versus Technical Reclamation in the Restoration of Disturbed Sites

We address the question: under which circumstances can we rely upon spontaneous succession and when are technical measures more effective in restoration programs? To answer this question, the position of a disturbed site along the productivity-stress gradient was considered. The probability of attai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRestoration ecology Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 363 - 366
Main Authors Prach, Karel, Hobbs, Richard J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malden, USA Malden, USA : Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.09.2008
Blackwell Publishing Inc
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects
Benefit cost analysis
Comparative studies
diversity
ecological restoration
Ecology
Effectiveness
Environmental restoration
environmental stress
manipulation of succession
site productivity
target stage
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Summary:We address the question: under which circumstances can we rely upon spontaneous succession and when are technical measures more effective in restoration programs? To answer this question, the position of a disturbed site along the productivity-stress gradient was considered. The probability of attaining a target stage by spontaneous succession decreases toward both ends of the productivity-stress gradient, whereas the acceptance of technical measures generally increases. In correspondence with that, the monetary cost of restoration increases toward the ends of the gradient. Therefore, spontaneous succession is advocated especially if environmental site conditions are not very extreme.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00412.x
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ArticleID:REC412
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content type line 23
ISSN:1061-2971
1526-100X
DOI:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2008.00412.x