ABSTRACT
There are many interpretations of the term “restoration.” According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 1995), restoration is defined as “the process of reestablishing a self-sustaining habitat that closely resembles a natural condition in terms of structure and function.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2003) defines restoration as “the return of a degraded ecosystem to a close approximation of its remaining natural potential.” Another interpretation of ‘restoration’ relates to the return of a polluted or degraded environment to a successful, self-sustaining ecosystem with both clean water and healthy habitats. If the definition includes a return to the “original natural system,” this assumes that the attributes of the original system are known, which is seldom the case. There are varied interpretations of the “success” of individual restoration efforts. This is complicated by endless philosophical discussions on an academic level concerning the actual meaning of the term. To add to the complication of interpretation, there are different levels of restoration efforts that range from attempts to restore minor wetland areas and individual grass beds to the proposed recovery of entire ecosystems. The factors that contribute to “successful” restoration efforts are not restricted to scientific efforts. These include political, economic, legal, and sociological processes that often supersede the science in terms of influence on the outcome. These factors are seldom mentioned when a given restoration effort is developed.
