La restauración de ecosistemas. Integración de los factores de presión ecológicos y socioeconómicos en los modelos conceptuales para una gestión adaptativa

Abstract

The restoration of ecosystems, as well as any management of them, has a high degree of uncertainty, due to the large number of processes involved that act with different spatio-temporal scales. Therefore, it is necessary to apply an adaptive management method, which allows reacting effectively and, thus, being able to progress continuously in the understanding of the conditions that are occurring in the ecosystem, to achieve a management that adapts in a flexible manner to changes and surprises. For the development of an adaptive plan, you can build conceptual models that serve as the basis for this. This model should include: an introduction to the dynamics and problems of ecosystems; a description of the drivers of change, stress factors and attributes; the ecological effects, including the description of the main ecological relationships affected by stress factors and the integration of man as one more element. But in many cases, the question arises of how far the restoration should go as far as to reproduce the original ecosystem. In many cases, there is no data on what the original ecosystem was like or the transformation has been so important or the resistance of the human population involved is so great that it is impossible to achieve it. Therefore, we now talk more about “emerging” ecosystems, that is, an ecosystem that maintains a series of processes, functions and structural elements of high intrinsic and utilitarian value, capable of facing a hostile environment. To achieve this, the joint action of researchers who report on the functioning of the ecosystem, the inhabitants of the area that accept the change and the different administrations involved is required.