Landscape Restoration

In the past two decades, landscape restoration has increasingly become a field of research and applied science addressing the multifaceted nature of environmental problems, and it has developed an integrated theoretical framework. Whereas maintenance denotes some regular and relatively slight work directed at conserving a humanized environment, restoration consists of a set of actions designed to improve a degraded or simplified environment. Etymologically, “to restore” derives from the Latin word restaurare and from the Old French word restorer, which means “to repair,” “to rebuild,” or “to renew.” For environmental purposes, this term implies the memory or knowledge of previous conditions, the negative evaluation of recent alterations and the present context, and the will and means to reestablish an ancient equilibrium.

Many restoration models and practices have been applied to ecosystems. More recently, landscape restoration has broadened its scope, with prospects for the sustainable use and management of natural resources. More than the ecosystem concept, the landscape definition pays particular attention to the human dimension and integrates the actions of and interactions between natural and cultural factors. The landscape perspective does not neglect the negative impacts resulting from the exploitation of natural resources. In addition, it places emphasis on emotional, socioeconomic, and cultural elements. It is almost a revolution, insofar as it requires an effort to live today with one eye toward yesterday and the other toward tomorrow, to repair the environment, to recognize the dynamic steady state characterizing the structure and functioning of ecosystems, and to substitute an objective-oriented strategy for a reference-oriented approach.

The meaning of landscape restoration varies according to the scientific community, the type of environment to be restored, and the content of the restoration program. For instance, in Switzerland, the simple repairing of biotopes in a disturbed watercourse is called revalorization and attends to biodiversity, spawning areas, or anadromous fish. With revitalization work, such as dike shifting or dam removal, the aim is to reestablish the dynamic [Page 1719]processes of water and sedimentation and to widen river corridors for flooding or for prevention of bank erosion. More generally, this distinction underlines the coexistence of structural and dynamical restoration models and highlights the frequent temptation to restore and congeal some idealized forms rather than the processes necessary for their formation and maintenance. It raises the question as to whether such labors may actually effect a restoration. After the restoration of a floodplain lake, how long will it remain connected to the main channel, the water flow, and the bedload transport, which are disrupted by facilities in the humanized floodplain? Clearly, the continuous stability of a biotope is artificial. The progressive sedimentation of this lake will need some “restoration” work again.

Revalorization is a partial process that aims to make an area more natural, with the objective of “renaturation” being to give an anthropogenic environment its natural features back and to restore its ecological functioning, structure, and equilibrium. In ecological restoration, the original or predisturbance condition is called the “reference state.” It is usually characterized through historical investigations. Some restoration actions try to reestablish landscapes. However, in societies that have a long tradition of agricultural and grazing activities, it is not easy to identify and choose a reference landscape. This ethical question opens the debate on different visions of nature in expert or vernacular knowledge. Wild nature often appears as a vanished quest for a “paradise lost.” The idea of reversibility, which is inherent in restoration or renaturation work, raises several conceptual, scientific, and technical problems. Moreover, the wilderness often does not respond to social demands. Arcadian nature supplies many valuable landscapes, characterized by attractiveness and aesthetic quality, but tends to achieve and fix an ideal/dream state. Functional nature is densely occupied and is developed to the detriment of naturalness.

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