Restoration Ecology

Many people in the world have not been making great decisions for the environment. As the population increases, more damage will be done.  Thankfully, we have restoration ecology to repair and restore the destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment. There are five main components of restoration removing physical stressors, controlling invasive species, replanting, captive breeding and reestablishing fauna, and monitoring (Cunningham and Cunningham 272-286). All of these activities are done to help nature heal from the damage humans have caused.

            Humans need to be aware of their actions and the damage it can cause the environment.  In 2008 environmental damage caused by humans reached 6.6 trillion dollars (Kropp 1-3).  That is a lot of money going towards repairs that could’ve been avoided with smarter actions. Global environmental costs are projected to reach 28.6 trillion by 2050(Kropp 1-3).  Environmental damage is a serious issue because it affects everyone, whether it’s realized or not. “All organisms depend on their environment for energy and the materials needed to sustain life: clean air, potable water, nutritious food, and a safe place to live.” (Resnik, and Portier ).  The environment is vital for human life; we all should take care of the environment so it can take care of us.          

            As the world becomes more over populated the more it will affect the environment.  Some of the issues we face are water pollution, soil degradation, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. Water is very important to human life. Humans can only go a week or two without water. The main contributors to water pollution are factories and open mines, the metals, toxic substances, and solid waste are impossible to purify (Stancheva 1-2). These contributors are making it hard for the environment to have clean drinking water. Land is important for food production, but it is estimated that 1.2 billon hectares of land have lost most of their agricultural output capability (Stancheva 1-2).  Forests are also getting destroyed. Deforestation is due to the building of roads, expansion of residential areas, the use of wood as fuel and forest areas getting burned and converted into pastures (Stancheva 1-2).  Loss of diversity leads to the destruction of the natural habitat of many wild life species (Stancheva 1-2). The clearing of Amazon forest has a tremendous effect on many rare tropical species (Stancheva 1-2).  Most of the danger on the environment is long lasting and sometimes permanent.

            Restoration ecology may have different projects and goals they want to achieve. There are different kinds of restoration including revegetation, habitat, remediation, and mitigation(Vaughn).  The restoration is usually locally initiated and done by community volunteers (Vaughn).  The practice began in the early 1900s and is now established as a science and studied in research institutions (Vaughn).  We must continue to restore ecology to help the destroyed environment.

 

            In conclusion everyone can be a volunteer and help restore ecology. As the population increases the more help will be needed. Having a destroyed environment will eventually affect human life.  It is very important to make good decision and help with restoration. Everyone can be a part of the movement.

 

citation

Cunningham, Mary Ann, and William Cunningham. Environmental Science. 12th. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 272-286. Print.

Kropp, Robert. "GreenBiz." GreenBiz. (2010): 1-3. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/05/humans-caused-66-trillion-environmental-damage-2008>.

 

Resnik, David, and Christopher Portier. "The Hasting Center." Hasting Center. n. page. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Publications/BriefingBook/Detail.aspx?id=2170>.

Stancheva, Tina. "Swarthmore College Environmental Studies." Swarthmore College Environmental Studies. 2003. (2003): 1-2. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S2003/Tina/overpopulation.html>.

Vaughn, K.J. "Restoration Ecology." Nature Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct 2012. <http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/restoration-ecology-13339059>.