ABSTRACT
As the preceding chapters make clear, much of the literature on restoration focuses on the resource itself-the land, rivers, wetlands, plains, ecological communities, etc. But some of the most daunting challenges to restoration are political rather than natural. Much of the political debate over restoration focuses on whether a restoration project should be an effort to re-create a wild, natural ecosystem, or engineer a park-like quasi-natural area, or some combination of both. The decision as to how “natural” a restoration project will be is determined by both ecological and political factors. When it comes to implementing restoration, the realm of the possible must deal with everything from invasive species, to extinction, to opposition from organized interests. Given the limitations, it is somewhat amazing that any restoration projects are successful, yet many do succeed in the face of limited resources and political adversity.
