Introduction

This is a book about restoring tidal marshes, with broad geographic treatment and detailed examples from southern California. To begin, we ask a very general question: “What constrains ecosystem restoration efforts?” In answering it, we look to the literature and the theory of restoration ecology; we then explore what our study sites (Boxes 1.1 to 1.12) bring to bear on theory, as well as where they fit in a broad spectrum of restoration projects. Next, we consider the special concerns of coastal wetland restoration and salt marshes in particular. My conclusion in Chapter 1 is that adaptive approaches (and more examples of how to incorporate science into restoration) are sorely needed.