ABSTRACT
The restoration and evaluation of degraded ecosystems is an important component in the sustainable development of “human-nature-economy” compound ecosystems. Based on an analysis of ecosystem evolution and structure-function-service integration, this research proposes that ecosystems can return to a dynamic balance of self-maintenance by enriching system elements, strengthening the relationships between different elements and diversified ecology processes, and actuating the restoration of internal functions, which includes the self-regulation of degraded ecosystems. In this paper, the degraded ecosystem structure and degradation characteristics of a quarry are combined with the major factors that influence recovery, and a reference frame for the restoration of the quarry ecological system is then selected to establish the key targets for ecological restoration. Three elements and 17 indexes are constructed from ecological processes, vegetation structures and ecological functions to characterize the ecological restoration, and these parameters can be used to evaluate and manage the ecological restoration of the abandoned quarry.
