Dr. Eric Higgs asks ecological restoration and land reclamation intersect. And then he introduces rapid change and the emergence of novel ecosystems and our role in responsible intervention. Author of "Nature by Design", he argues that reclamation involves imprinting some aspect of our value system on that landscape. What is responsible intervention (or restoration) in ecosystems undergoing rapid change?
Canada's role in the emerging science of ecological restoration was in defining principles and guidelines (Parks Canada publication). Ecosystems are changing: people are engaged, pristine wilderness makes no sense in cultural landscapes, ecosystems are emerging that we haven't seen before, rewilding, assisted migration and invasive species. Alberta's view of reclamation focuses on reconverting disturbed land back to equivalent land capability. Restoration requires understanding what natural ecosystems occurred previously. The photography series from the Mountain Legacy project shows us that ecosystems change (not just glaciers receding and treeline shifts but forest density also increasing).
Dr. Eric Higgs was the keynote speaker at the University of Alberta's Land Reclamation International Graduate School (LRIGS) lecture on April 3, 2013 . Dr. Eric Higgs is a professor in the School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, British Columbia.
This is part 1 of 2. View part 2 here.
