ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book offers new insights to both practitioners and theorists of ecological land reconstruction. It examines the effects of different cultural practices and site preparation on ecosystem development. The book presents some basic processes related to seed reserves and seedling establishment that are important to reconstruction. It reviews the potential for application of some of the ecological approaches, and discusses the degree to which ecological reconstruction is possible. Reconstruction efforts may result in ecosystems that are similar or dissimilar to the predisturbance site, depending on the degree of disturbance. An inability to produce commercially available propagules of all desired plant species also reduces the ability to restore land. Natural levels of fertility as well as microorganisms may be restored in an arid system by planting species with appropriate root arditectunes in appropriate spatial patterns.
