Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities

Valentin Schaefer

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities

Valentin Schaefer

Published in American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 5, Issue 6)

Received: 1 December 2017 Accepted: 10 December 2017 Published: 2 January 2018

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Abstract

Ecological restoration in cities is problematic. The natural environment is radically altered with large areas of impervious surfaces, invasive species and a parallel artificial infrastructure for transporting water, waste and energy. There are also competing goals to meet the needs of people as identified in Official Community Plans. Cities are novel ecosystems and the restoration targets often do not align well with the natural ecosystems that historically existed in the area. The objective of this study is to use the University of Victoria campus as an example of urban restoration that incorporates novel ecosystems and takes a layered landscapes approach to address the complex socio-ecological histories of a site. Hobbs Creek and its ravine, Mystic Vale, are a particular focus. Instead of trying to restore the original fish-bearing stream and forest, the University of Victoria has used a novel ecosystem approach to set a suitable restoration target for an ecosystem that is capable of maturing, has a stable trajectory and is resilient. The university has an ongoing program of invasive species removal, reducing stream bank erosion and managing human impacts that is consistent with applying the layered landscapes concept, addressing the diverse values and visions of people as well as ecological integrity. In cities, the novel ecosystem approach acknowledges that complex socio-ecological histories of a site have shaped them over time and play a major role in determining a site’s future. Combining the layered landscapes perspective with the novel ecosystems concept as was done in this project is an effective approach to ecological restoration in cities.

Published in	American Journal of Life Sciences (Volume 5, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
Page(s)	164-169
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Layered Landscapes, Novel Ecosystems, Ecological Restoration, Ecological Memory, Culturally Modified Landscapes, Restoration Target

References

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APA Style

Valentin Schaefer. (2018). Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. American Journal of Life Sciences, 5(6), 164-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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ACS Style

Valentin Schaefer. Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. Am. J. Life Sci. 2018, 5(6), 164-169. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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AMA Style

Valentin Schaefer. Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. Am J Life Sci. 2018;5(6):164-169. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13,
  author = {Valentin Schaefer},
  title = {Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities},
  journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
  volume = {5},
  number = {6},
  pages = {164-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20170506.13},
  abstract = {Ecological restoration in cities is problematic. The natural environment is radically altered with large areas of impervious surfaces, invasive species and a parallel artificial infrastructure for transporting water, waste and energy. There are also competing goals to meet the needs of people as identified in Official Community Plans. Cities are novel ecosystems and the restoration targets often do not align well with the natural ecosystems that historically existed in the area. The objective of this study is to use the University of Victoria campus as an example of urban restoration that incorporates novel ecosystems and takes a layered landscapes approach to address the complex socio-ecological histories of a site. Hobbs Creek and its ravine, Mystic Vale, are a particular focus. Instead of trying to restore the original fish-bearing stream and forest, the University of Victoria has used a novel ecosystem approach to set a suitable restoration target for an ecosystem that is capable of maturing, has a stable trajectory and is resilient. The university has an ongoing program of invasive species removal, reducing stream bank erosion and managing human impacts that is consistent with applying the layered landscapes concept, addressing the diverse values and visions of people as well as ecological integrity. In cities, the novel ecosystem approach acknowledges that complex socio-ecological histories of a site have shaped them over time and play a major role in determining a site’s future. Combining the layered landscapes perspective with the novel ecosystems concept as was done in this project is an effective approach to ecological restoration in cities.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities
AU  - Valentin Schaefer
Y1  - 2018/01/02
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
T2  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Life Sciences
SP  - 164
EP  - 169
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
AB  - Ecological restoration in cities is problematic. The natural environment is radically altered with large areas of impervious surfaces, invasive species and a parallel artificial infrastructure for transporting water, waste and energy. There are also competing goals to meet the needs of people as identified in Official Community Plans. Cities are novel ecosystems and the restoration targets often do not align well with the natural ecosystems that historically existed in the area. The objective of this study is to use the University of Victoria campus as an example of urban restoration that incorporates novel ecosystems and takes a layered landscapes approach to address the complex socio-ecological histories of a site. Hobbs Creek and its ravine, Mystic Vale, are a particular focus. Instead of trying to restore the original fish-bearing stream and forest, the University of Victoria has used a novel ecosystem approach to set a suitable restoration target for an ecosystem that is capable of maturing, has a stable trajectory and is resilient. The university has an ongoing program of invasive species removal, reducing stream bank erosion and managing human impacts that is consistent with applying the layered landscapes concept, addressing the diverse values and visions of people as well as ecological integrity. In cities, the novel ecosystem approach acknowledges that complex socio-ecological histories of a site have shaped them over time and play a major role in determining a site’s future. Combining the layered landscapes perspective with the novel ecosystems concept as was done in this project is an effective approach to ecological restoration in cities.
VL  - 5
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Valentin Schaefer

School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Valentin Schaefer. (2018). Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. American Journal of Life Sciences, 5(6), 164-169. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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ACS Style

Valentin Schaefer. Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. Am. J. Life Sci. 2018, 5(6), 164-169. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

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AMA Style

Valentin Schaefer. Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities. Am J Life Sci. 2018;5(6):164-169. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13,
  author = {Valentin Schaefer},
  title = {Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities},
  journal = {American Journal of Life Sciences},
  volume = {5},
  number = {6},
  pages = {164-169},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajls.20170506.13},
  abstract = {Ecological restoration in cities is problematic. The natural environment is radically altered with large areas of impervious surfaces, invasive species and a parallel artificial infrastructure for transporting water, waste and energy. There are also competing goals to meet the needs of people as identified in Official Community Plans. Cities are novel ecosystems and the restoration targets often do not align well with the natural ecosystems that historically existed in the area. The objective of this study is to use the University of Victoria campus as an example of urban restoration that incorporates novel ecosystems and takes a layered landscapes approach to address the complex socio-ecological histories of a site. Hobbs Creek and its ravine, Mystic Vale, are a particular focus. Instead of trying to restore the original fish-bearing stream and forest, the University of Victoria has used a novel ecosystem approach to set a suitable restoration target for an ecosystem that is capable of maturing, has a stable trajectory and is resilient. The university has an ongoing program of invasive species removal, reducing stream bank erosion and managing human impacts that is consistent with applying the layered landscapes concept, addressing the diverse values and visions of people as well as ecological integrity. In cities, the novel ecosystem approach acknowledges that complex socio-ecological histories of a site have shaped them over time and play a major role in determining a site’s future. Combining the layered landscapes perspective with the novel ecosystems concept as was done in this project is an effective approach to ecological restoration in cities.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Incorporating Novel Ecosystems and Layered Landscapes for Ecological Restoration in Cities
AU  - Valentin Schaefer
Y1  - 2018/01/02
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
T2  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JF  - American Journal of Life Sciences
JO  - American Journal of Life Sciences
SP  - 164
EP  - 169
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-5737
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajls.20170506.13
AB  - Ecological restoration in cities is problematic. The natural environment is radically altered with large areas of impervious surfaces, invasive species and a parallel artificial infrastructure for transporting water, waste and energy. There are also competing goals to meet the needs of people as identified in Official Community Plans. Cities are novel ecosystems and the restoration targets often do not align well with the natural ecosystems that historically existed in the area. The objective of this study is to use the University of Victoria campus as an example of urban restoration that incorporates novel ecosystems and takes a layered landscapes approach to address the complex socio-ecological histories of a site. Hobbs Creek and its ravine, Mystic Vale, are a particular focus. Instead of trying to restore the original fish-bearing stream and forest, the University of Victoria has used a novel ecosystem approach to set a suitable restoration target for an ecosystem that is capable of maturing, has a stable trajectory and is resilient. The university has an ongoing program of invasive species removal, reducing stream bank erosion and managing human impacts that is consistent with applying the layered landscapes concept, addressing the diverse values and visions of people as well as ecological integrity. In cities, the novel ecosystem approach acknowledges that complex socio-ecological histories of a site have shaped them over time and play a major role in determining a site’s future. Combining the layered landscapes perspective with the novel ecosystems concept as was done in this project is an effective approach to ecological restoration in cities.
VL  - 5
IS  - 6
ER  -

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