In some cases, restoration specialists simply need to remove the source of the disturbance and allow sites to recover naturally through ecological succession. This process is called passive restoration because restoration specialists do not need to take much action. For example, halting agricultural tillage or stemming the overuse of riverbanks by livestock may be enough to bring a site back to a pre-disturbed state.

In other cases, the ecosystem has passed a threshold of degradation, and disturbed sites within it are not able to recover on their own or can only recover very slowly. This is particularly common when soil and water resources have been compromised through erosion, earth-moving activities, or some other major disturbance. To restore such highly disturbed sites, the removal or cessation of the disturbance is only the first step. Restorationists must then engage in active restoration, which starts or accelerates the recovery process or attempts to change the site’s ecological succession.

One component of active restoration is soil rehabilitation and land stabilization. This component includes the restoration of the soil’s or water’s original chemical, biological, and physical characteristics. Examples include applying amendments (such as lime) to improve soil pH, stemming the flow of fertilizers to artificially enriched soil or water, inoculating soils with beneficial microorganisms, and tilling to improve aeration and root penetration. Erosion control and land stabilization tools include physical structures along stream banks, blankets of mulch placed on hillsides, and plantings to stabilize slopes.

Another component of active restoration is restoring the plant community. After the site is prepared, restorationists generally select seeds, seedlings, or cuttings for revegetation or reforestation. Ecological principles related to the assembly of the biological community help explain the long-term consequences of how and when different species are added to a site.

When selecting seeds and propagules, restorationists generally try to find the species and cultivars that will be most suitable for local conditions as well as for the site’s intended uses (such as habitat for native wildlife, land stabilization, or livestock forage). Local plants and animals are likely to be well adapted to the target ecosystem. Alternatively, restorationists may use plant materials from seed companies or nurseries that are typically tailored for certain environmental conditions. At the same time, many restoration projects attempt to maximize the genetic diversity of the site by collecting seeds or propagules from a large number of source individuals (see biodiversity). Increased genetic diversity gives restored plant populations a greater ability to survive disturbance events and other ecosystem changes. Such genetic concerns can also be important for animals, which are sometimes transported or reintroduced to an area.

To create a sustainable restored ecosystem, restoration specialists often need to couple the restoration of plants and animals with that of landscape processes and natural disturbances. Some restored sites are relatively small and isolated, which can lead to problems associated with fragmented habitats. Populations in smaller and more-isolated habitat patches experience a greater risk of inbreeding, local extinction of species, and negative edge effects (that is, the effects of one habitat on an adjacent habitat). For example, small, narrow, sinuous patches of forest have greater amounts of edge than larger square or circular patches. As a result, more of their interiors border other ecosystems, which may increase the forest’s exposure to different pests, predators, and weather and climatic conditions than would normally occur in forests with shorter borders and thus more-insulated interiors.

Many restoration projects try to mitigate fragmentation-related problems by increasing the size of the habitat patch, bolstering genetic diversity, and fostering ecological linkages between patches. Restoration may also reestablish historical disturbance patterns, such as those involving flooding or fire (see prescribed fire).

Monitoring and documentation are essential in the restoration process. Regular monitoring guides adaptive management and also determines when and if restoration goals are being met. In some cases only limited human intervention (followed by appropriate management) may be necessary, while in other cases human intervention may be necessary for decades.

Walker Basin

Since 2005, legislators, private stakeholders, researchers, and restoration specialists have been working together to restore and maintain a desert lake in western Nevada. Walker Lake is unusual because it is a terminal lake; it has many inlets but no outlet. The long-term survival of Walker Lake’s ecosystem, fishery, and associated economy are threatened by water diversions that lowered the water level by approximately 46 metres (about 150 feet) and raised salinity levels substantially. Like many other ecological restoration efforts, the Walker Basin project exists within a complex political, economic, social, and ecological context. To return water to Walker Lake, restorationists obtain water rights from farmers upstream and then convert existing agricultural land to drought-resistant crops or native desert vegetation. Ecologists continue to monitor whether changes in upstream water use are improving the health of Walker Lake. Since 2009 the project has continued to acquire water rights and instituted a voluntary program in which landowners upstream reduce their water use, allowing more water to flow into the basin.

North American eastern deciduous forest

One of the most dramatic examples of passive restoration is the resurgence of North America’s eastern deciduous forests. Largely cleared for agriculture between the 17th and 19th centuries, this land was abandoned as agriculture moved west and the eastern United States industrialized. After tilling ceased, forests began to recover with no active restoration efforts, and today they cover millions of acres. These forests are still relatively young and are missing a few key elements (such as chestnut trees [Castanea dentata] and passenger pigeons [Ectopistes migratorius]) but appear to be remarkably similar to pre-1650 forests.

Calcareous grasslands

In parts of northern Europe, calcareous grasslands (grasslands growing on thin alkaline soils) are being restored on land previously managed for agriculture. These sites were historically characterized by nutrient-poor, often acidic soils supporting a unique flora. Restoration practices after years of fertilization for crops often involve some form of soil impoverishment (topsoil removal and repeated biomass removal) and acidification followed by oversowing with native plant species. Many of these sites are now mature and retain their restored plant associations.