RESTORATION ECOLOGY

The "Ecology of Environmental Restoration" course is one of the characterizing teachings of the curriculum "Natural capital and ecosystem services". The teaching course provides:
- the conceptual basis for knowing and understanding the organization levels of biological diversity, and the principles that guide its valorisation, protection and conservation;
- fundamentals of restoration ecology;
- the basic knowledge on approaches and methods of ecological restoration of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and ecological landscapes.

The course aims to provide the basic elements for the management and protection of the environment, with a view to conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems. The main ecological values of the environment that must be safeguarded to permit the maintenance over time of ecosystem goods and services are illustrated. In particular, the main problems related to the recovery and environmental restoration of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are developed, also by examining case studies. In particular, teaching allows you to acquire the basic skills to plan, coordinate, implement, monitor and evaluate the success of projects aimed at the ecological restoration of the environment, with a view to both conserving biodiversity and increasing well-being and human health.

Basic knowledge of plant ecology, animal ecology and applied ecology.

Definition and aims of the restoration ecology. Biodiversity: definition and levels; the VI mass extinction; assessment of the risk of extinction; main threats to biodiversity; relationships between biodiversity, functionality of ecological systems, and ecosystem goods and services. Ecology of restoration and ecological restoration. Different levels of environmental recovery. Primers and restoration ecology guidelines. Targets, goals and operational objectives of ecological restoration. Description and evaluation of ecosystems to be restored. Disturbance, stability and resilience. Trajectories of environmental recovery and definition of scenarios. Design and implementation of restoration actions. Monitoring planning and adaptive management. Evaluation of the success of ecological restoration. The ecological bases of restoration: level of landscape, level of ecosystem, level of community. Ecological restoration of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Analysis of case studies.

Slides of lessons and other learning materials provided by means of the moodle platform.

Textbooks:
- Holl K.D. (2020): Primer of Ecological Restoration. Island Press
- Palmer M.A., Zedler J.B., and Falk D. (eds.), 2016. Foundations of restoration ecology. Society for Ecological Restoration, Island Press.

The assessment of learning will be carried out by an oral examination. The student also has the opportunity to take part of the exam as tutorial, illustrating a case study of ecological restoration. The exam aims to assess the degree of mastery by the student of the main problems related to the restoration of ecological systems, and his ability to critically evaluate case studies of environmental restoration.

The course is organized in lectures and specialized tutorial activities. The tutorials, which aim to illustrate projects and specific paradigmatic case studies, will be taught by professionals working in the fields both of recovery of degraded ecosystems and biodiversity conservation.

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Natural capital and environmental quality" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development