Function and performance targets in ecological rehabilitation

Abstract

This paper considers, from the view of a rehabilitation practitioner, approaches to establishing a sustainable ecosystem that may reasonably approximate some target vegetation assemblage. Broadly, the target system needs to be defined not only in terms of species assemblages, but also in terms of key soil attributes; some of which may be relatively constant and able to be established when revegetation works are carried out. However, other soil attributes may rely on plant growth for their development and modification, and the role of vegetation in providing essential services to the developing ecosystem is fundamental to long term ecosystem sustainability. This paper demonstrates how runoff/erosion and water balance models could be used to provide quantitative short- and longer-term targets for the management and assessment of rehabilitation progress and success.