ABSTRACT
Restoration ecology seeks to provide a scientific basis to inform the practitioners working to restore. The Society for Ecological Restoration defines restoration ecology as 'intentional activity that initiates or accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its health, integrity and sustainability'. Restoration ecology draws on a wide range of ecological concepts, including those of disturbance, succession, fragmentation, ecosystem function and panarchy, adaptive capacity and resilience. Creative conservation is the introduction of species to new situations and the re-introduction of species to habitats. The term 'creative conservation' is used by several US consulting companies that engage in such landscape ecology. Public interest in creative conservation and ecosystem restoration is largely driven by accessible local opportunities to enjoy nature and use the improved greenspaces and adjacent water bodies. Carried out appropriately, creative conservation and effective restoration can give all urban people significant roles in shaping the future of the places most important to them: their homes and immediate surroundings.
