Bionovelty and ecological restoration

Date

2024

Authors

Volpe, John P.
Higgs, Eric
Jeschke, Jonathan M.
Barnhill, Katie
Brunk, Conrad
Dudney, Joan
Govers, Laura
Hobbs, Richard
Keenleyside, Karen
Murphy, Stephen D.

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Restoration Ecology

Abstract

Anthropogenic activity has irreparably altered the ecological fabric of Earth. The emergence of ecological novelty from diverse drivers of change is an increasingly challenging dimension of ecosystem restoration. At the same time, the restorationist's tool kit continues to grow, including a variety of powerful and increasingly prevalent technologies. Thus, ecosystem restoration finds itself at the center of intersecting challenges. How should we respond to increasingly common emergence of environmental system states with little or no historical precedent, whilst considering the appropriate deployment of potentially consequential and largely untested interventions that may give rise to organisms, system states, and/or processes that are likewise without historical precedent? We use the term bionovelty to encapsulate these intersecting themes and examine the implications of bionovelty for ecological restoration.

Description

Keywords

bionovelty, ecological systems, policy, risk assessment, technology

Citation

Volpe, J. P., Higgs, E. S., Jeschke, J. M., Barnhill, K., Brunk, C., Dudney, J., Govers, L. L., Hobbs, R. J., Keenleyside, K., Murphy, S. D., Seddon, P. J., Sudweeks, J., Telhan, O., & Voicescu, S. (2024). Bionovelty and ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14152