Does community engagement improve ecosystem restoration outcomes?

Session: Wetland Restoration in the Great Lakes Basin: Research and Innovation (1)

Sydney VanWinkle, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Kristoffer Whitney, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]
Christy Tyler, Rochester Institute of Technology, [email protected]

Abstract

Ecosystem creation and restoration are increasingly common techniques to replace ecosystem functions and services lost to human development. Project success is typically determined by metrics of ecosystem functionality, measured during a set period following restoration actions. The ecological factors that contribute to the outcome of restoration projects are well studied. However, the role of the local human community is not as well understood. How do the number of stakeholders and their level of involvement affect the success of restoration outcomes? We have qualitatively assessed the role of stakeholders in four restoration projects in the Lake Ontario watershed to identify relationships between stakeholder involvement and restoration outcomes. Through semi-structured interviews with town engineers, local activists, and project leaders, we assessed people’s goals and rationales for involvement. These qualitative results will be compared to quantitative ecological measurements of restoration outcomes gathered using a rapid assessment method to determine ecological function, measuring invasive species cover, intended hydrology and plant community composition. The results are then cross-examined using an analysis of the surrounding landscape in each case study (rural, urban, zoning type, etc). These comparisons give a holistic view of how both social and ecological factors impact restoration outcomes.