## Ecological Restoration **– Federal Land**  **Management Agency Perspective** Backgr ound Ty pes of R esour ces - Str essors Sour ces DOI Pr ojects Issues Gr eg E ckert g re g_eckert@nps. gov 970 - 225 - 3594

## Defining Restoration Eco logical res to ration is the process of assis ting the recovery of an ecosys tem that has been degraded, damaged, or des troyed. ( Society f o r Eco logical Resto ration) ... R emov al of barriers to ecosyste m r ecovery ... ( sensu Aide)

## Defining Restoration Used to argue over: RE ST ORA TION Re vegetation Re clamation Re mediation 

### Now addressing emerging

co ncepts of : Resto ration Va lues Eco logical Ser vices Resto ration and CultureAmbient En vir onment Landscape / Ecological Processes Communities / Ecosystems

Po pula tions / Orga nisms **Natural Resource Levels of Organization** Contaminants Dus t Light and Noise P ollution Altered Fire and Flow Re gimes Altered soil conditions, nutrient cycles & geomorphological c onditions Ve getation degr aded Individual orga nisms affect ed by disease or noise

## Sources – past and present

• Land use Leg acies • Con ta minan ts • Pr ocess alt eration • Fragmen tat ion • Re sour ce Exploit ation • In va sive Species

## DOI Projects - South Texas Wildlife Refuges

• Goal of r es toring attribut es of natur al div er sity • Over 10,000 acr es of tr ees and shrubs plan te d since 1995 • Wo rk with Cooper ative F arming Pr ogr am and Local Conser vat ion NGO

## DOI Projects – Southern Cal BLM Plan t species used for livest ock for ag e ha ve 1) eliminated habit at for the endang ered Quino checkerspot butte rfly , 2 ) created type co nve rs ion of c oast al sag e scrub and chaparr al to non - native annual grasses 3) increased non - native grasses as “flash - fuels ” Multiple pr ojects: Quino habit at, AML g ates, Fuel breaks, Golden eagle nest platforms, multiple loc al c ollabor ations PR OGRAM ISSUE S • Lack of st aff and funding • Opposition fr om public when atte mpting to manag e bor derlands by implemen ting closures following fires or for the pr ot ection of threatened and endang ered species. • The lack of Activity plans and Wilderness plans for the manag emen t of bor der lands.

## DOI Projects – San Diego Area Refuges Addr essing a suite of issues acr oss multiple units Pr ojects include > 63 ve ra nl pools 130 acr es Cactus wr en habit at Po stfir e r ec ove ry of T&E habit at 67 acr es of Ota y ta rplan t & Me xican flannelbush habit at Coas t liv e oak and Eng elmann oak - > 600 locations The additional challeng es of climate change (e.g., r educed annual r ainfall but incr eased r ain ev en t in te nsity; long er , hotte r summer s; ra ng e shifts of species; rising sea lev els) magnifies the need for activ e manag emen t and monitoring of these conser ve d lands and their v as t biological div er sity.

## DOI Projects – Restore New Mexico Multi - ag ency emphasis on desert gr assland & riparian pr ojects NGOs and priv ate landowner cooper ation Over 56,000 acr es tr ea te d in “NM Bootheel ” Support monitoring fr om USD A Ecore gional Assessmen ts hamper ed by lack of knowledg e fr om Me xican side of bor der

## DOI Projects – SW Arizona

## DOI Projects – SW Arizona Damag e to soils a nd v eg etation

The range of the endangered Sonoran pronghorn is in the heart of intensive off- road driving, illegal immigrant trails, and law enforcement interdiction activities

## DOI Projects – DHS Mitigation

## DOI Projects – Sonoran Joint Ventures Pa rtner ship of div er se orga niz ations and individuals fr om thr oughout the southwestern United States and northwestern Me xico that shar e a common commitment to the conser vat ion of all bir d species and habitats within this r ang e. • Multiple pr ojects to assess, monitor , conser ve and r es tore bir d habitats • e g , R es toring hummingbir d nectar plan ts to impr ove pollination

- Via local NGO

- Str ong local community component

## DOI Projects – Big Bend - Rio Bravo Bi - national action plan to implement conser vat ion actions that will s tr engthen landscape r esilience and pr otect and impr ove ec osyste m ser vices. 1. Incr ease binational conser vat ion cooper ation 2 . Implemen t pr ojects & science on the Rio Gr ande t o impr ove aquatic and riparian habitats and con veyance capacity. 3 . I mplemen t uplands pr ojects to impr ove re siliency

, & 4 . Conser vat ion assessmen t

## Issues Incr eases in drug smuggling and r ela te d violence and security

• Re sour ce staff have limited access to key r esour ces

• Indir ect loss of time/money due t o incr eased coordination with LE Pe rc eptions of policy - maker s

## Issues

• Re sto ra tion seen as s tat ic and dwelling in pas t • Difficulty working with Me xican counterparts • Incompatibility among partners

– TX – AZ and Buf

flegr ass 

### • How t o assess and re sto re large ar eas – RE As & L CCs • Curr en t actions lead t o futur e re sto ra tion needs

– Bor der wall designs block debris flows

– Highwa y designs 

### • DOI R es to ra tion va lues generally limited to species, habit at, “natur e”

## Issues

• Ne xus with Me xico and bor der contex t

• En vir onment al haz ar ds & the righ t to a safe en vir onment • Re la tionship to Climate r ela ted adapt at ion st rate gies • Urbaniz at ion and P opulation gr owth Image: Kevin Bixby