Topic: Ecological Restoration

Design restoration projects using ecological principles and the Society for Ecological Restoration standards. Case studies connect limiting factors, community assembly and reference ecosystems with diagnoses of degradation, project objectives and intervention choices. Participants compare passive and active restoration, monitoring and adaptive management, ecological recovery indicators and public participation. Collaborative exercises culminate in proposing restoration of a degraded ecosystem and explaining its expected societal and ecological benefits. Live sessions: 26 and 29 October; 2, 5,

Agriculture and urban development threaten soil processes that sustain biodiversity, nutrient cycling, water regulation and climate resilience. The seminar examines how ecosystem-based interventions can restore soils, and why soil health must itself be built into the design of those interventions. Examples from the SOLU-BIOD research programme in France and abroad connect ecological restoration with food and water security. The discussion also considers practical barriers to adoption and the public policies needed to support implementation.