The swamps of North Carolina were once filled with forest giants like this bald cypress (Taxodium distichum).

What is Ecological Restoration?

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
as defined by the Society for Ecological Restoration

(or skip the history below and cut right to the chase - The SER Primer)

2002 - Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

1996 - Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery and management of ecological integrity. Ecological integrity includes a critical range of variability in biodiversity, ecological processes and structures, regional and historical context, and sustainable cultural practices.

1994 - Ecological restoration is the process of repairing damage caused by humans to the diversity and dynamics of indigenous ecosystems.

1993 - Ecological restoration is the process of re-establishing to the extent possible the structure, function, and integrity of indigenous ecosystems and the sustaining habitats they provide.

1990 - Ecological restoration is the process of intentionally altering a site to establish a defined, indigenous, historic ecosystem. The goal of the process is to emulate the structure, function, diversity, and dynamics of the specified ecosystem.