Introduced mammals and models for restoration

Progress with ecological restoration in New Zealand is reviewed. A useful goal for restoration is that of rebuilding, as far as possible, the evolutionary and ecological context of species in the system, i.e. reinstating earlier selection regimes. Opportunities for restoring biological components of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological conservation 2001-05, Vol.99 (1), p.81-96
Main Author: Atkinson, Ian A.E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ecological restoration
Extinct birds
Mammalia
New Zealand
Selection regimes
Species substitution
Translocation
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Summary:Progress with ecological restoration in New Zealand is reviewed. A useful goal for restoration is that of rebuilding, as far as possible, the evolutionary and ecological context of species in the system, i.e. reinstating earlier selection regimes. Opportunities for restoring biological components of these regimes are greater than those available for restoring physical conditions. In this country, effective ecological restoration is not possible without control or eradication of introduced mammals. Descriptive models of systems to be restored are also a necessity for achieving goals. A particular problem is that caused by past extinctions of animal species. Replacement of some extinct species, within particular trophic guilds, with ecologically appropriate and related extant species, is suggested as a possible response to this problem.
ISSN:0006-3207
1873-2917
DOI:10.1016/S0006-3207(00)00189-0