WFS 465Restoration Ecology
Restoration ecology is a discipline that integrates principles from ecology, engineering, landscape architecture, economics and other select social sciences to repair ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. The goal of restoration is to restore the structure of biological communities and the ecological functions and ecosystem services they provide to society. This course will cover the field of restoration ecology for students who see themselves someday practicing or participating in restoration projects during their careers. The course will cover the conceptual and theoretical foundations that underlie restoration efforts and link these to real-world applications in past and ongoing restoration projects in a variety of types of ecosystems. Examples of local and regional restoration projects will be used to reinforce principles discussed in class.