Time for a new definition of "restoration"

The traditional definition of land or ecosystem restoration is the process of ecological restoration of a site to a natural landscape and habitat. We too often take a short window in a period of geological time and say “this is what this landscape should look like.” This often involves and heavily relies on the use of toxic chemicals to remove exotic or invasive species, large machinery to alter the landscape and plant community essentially “erasing” the landscape and starting over. Restoration ecologists more often than not see a exotic or invasive species as though they don’t belong and any or all steps necessary to remove the should be taken to “repair” the ecosystem. To clear the air I am not advocating that we plant exotic or invasive species. In fact, I am a huge proponent for planting natives. You can read about our attempts to restore native prairie on a blog titled “Native: grass that heals the land.” My thoughts are simply that we expend too many chemical and fossil fuel resources combating exotic, invasive species. The current model of ecosystem restoration for the most part is expensive and non-functional. The environmental problems we now face are enormous and go far beyond the scope of exotic, invasive species. We need to genuinely restore fully functional ecosystems that restore the water cycle, energy cycle, mineral cycle and community dynamics.

First, let’s address what a exotic or invasive species is? By simple definition, invasive plants are alien species that show a tendency to grow out of control. The label “invasive” is generally reserved for plants that have been introduced from other regions and spread rapidly in their new habitats. These species are an opportunist filing an ecological niche in a damaged ecosystem. Species have been moving around this planet for millions of years. I can hear my ears ringing already! Yes, humans have increased the rate of this movement. Yes, we created this problem through our influence or disturbance, but when a species begins to fulfill this niche that is Nature’s way of saying “I know best how to repair myself.” It’s modern human nature to think that we know better than Nature. Perhaps it’s time for us to rethink and redefine restoration?

Agriculture undoubtedly has the largest impact on our planet as an industry. This impact can be measured in a myriad of ways. Since humans began moving around this planet we have altered ecosystems. Sometimes this alteration is catastrophic within a short period of time by the accidental or deliberate introduction of a new species. Land grant universities, private corporations and researchers have transferred plant species all over this planet for nearly a century. This is not to say that all introductions have been catastrophic. The best example I can think of is the introduction of the European honeybee, but perhaps this is a reflection of our human ignorance. One of the most invasive exotics I am personally familiar with is KR Bluestem grass (Old World Bluestem) , brought to the State of Texas by the Extension Service back in the 1970’s. It was initially used for roadside erosion control. Well known for it’s quick growth and persistence, it soon spread throughout the state. Livestock nor wildlife prefer to consume the grass and if not managed properly it can drown out native species. Every study that I am aware of to eradicate it has been unsuccessful. Most rangeland professionals will admit that you can’t get rid of it. If that’s the case then why expend the resources fighting it and why not learn to live with it? The grass is filling an ecological niche within a degraded ecosystem that is void. Perhaps the re-introduction of other grass species (preferably native), an increase in soil biological activity or some other unknown factor can create greater diversity and functionality within that ecosystem. Conventional grazing practices of infrequent livestock rotation will surely lead to a rangeland dominated by such species in the future. When livestock aren’t rotated it’s a degenerative process.

Governments and private entities expend millions of dollars and countless hours attempting to reset ecosystems by eradicating exotic invasive plant species at any cost. Undoubtedly in some circumstances this is absolutely necessary to preserve the integrity of that ecosystem. I personally believe that for farmers and ranchers, whose resources are typically limited, we need to perhaps focus more on ecosystem functionality instead of the species composition within an ecosystem. Too many ecosystem on our planet have been degraded beyond functionality. When I talk about ecosystem functionality I am referring to a functioning water cycle, mineral cycle, energy cycle, and community dynamics. I say this because we often have a unhealthy fixation on non-native species. It’s as if someone specifies a date in which species that arrived before are legitimate and those after are regarded as inadmissible. I believe that we need to rethink ecosystem restoration particularly in regards to exotic invasive species. I hate to burst your bubble, but species have been moving around this planet for millions of years.  I advocate that we redefine this era of restoration as a process of restoring ecosystem functionality. Ecosystems are collapsing throughout the world and it’s time to focus on restoring their functionality.

To clear the air I’m not advocating that we plant or transport exotic invasive species all over the planet or anywhere for that fact of the matter. But I’m not about to go dump thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals or expend a tremendous amount of time and energy trying to “control” Bermuda grass or KR Bluestem. If the problem is small and resolvable then by all means fix it, but if the scale is insurmountable then let’s learn to live with it and use it somehow to the advantage of restoring ecosystem functionality.