RESTORATION ECOLOGY
Restoration is an approach to the conservation of native species, plant communities, and ecosystems. It is an interdisciplinary global enterprise practiced by private and public sector professionals and dedicated volunteers of all ages. Covers both the theory and practice of restoration ecology and examine the current opportunities, challenges, and controversies that underlie the field. The goal may be to preserve nature, but restoration is a fundamentally human enterprise-it is accomplished for and by people. Therefore we cover information from ecology, sociology, and the humanities.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: BIOCORE 381 , ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY/BOTANY 152 , ZOOLOGY/BIOLOGY 102 , BIOLOGY/BOTANY 130 , or graduate/professional standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Natural Science & Wellness + Lab Breadth - Biological Science Level - Advanced L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify the scope, opportunities and limitations of contemporary restoration ecology, describe its interdisciplinary roots in theory and practice, and discuss its relationship to other conservation practices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Explain what we know and don’t know about restoration ecology, describe the several modes of inquiry that contribute to our knowledge, and gain hands-on experience with several of the procedures involved. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Explain the reasoning behind the collaborative, interdisciplinary, iterative and adaptive restoration problem-solving process. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Explain the importance of working with people and identify when during a restoration project collaboration occurs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Work with a team to create key components of a restoration project for an actual site, and present them in a formal written document using text, graphics, and photographs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Present the study findings to an audience of peers, faculty, and stakeholders, and apply feedback Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Apply current principles, theories, concepts, and practices of restoration ecology to their own research projects, and/or to evaluate and suggest solutions to contemporary issues regarding the preservation, restoration, or management of native plant communities. Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Identify the scope, opportunities and limitations of contemporary restoration ecology, describe its interdisciplinary roots in theory and practice, and discuss its relationship to other conservation practices. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 2. Explain what we know and don’t know about restoration ecology, describe the several modes of inquiry that contribute to our knowledge, and gain hands-on experience with several of the procedures involved. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 3. Explain the reasoning behind the collaborative, interdisciplinary, iterative and adaptive restoration problem-solving process. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 4. Explain the importance of working with people and identify when during a restoration project collaboration occurs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 5. Work with a team to create key components of a restoration project for an actual site, and present them in a formal written document using text, graphics, and photographs. Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 6. Present the study findings to an audience of peers, faculty, and stakeholders, and apply feedback Audience: Both Grad & Undergrad 7. Apply current principles, theories, concepts, and practices of restoration ecology to their own research projects, and/or to evaluate and suggest solutions to contemporary issues regarding the preservation, restoration, or management of native plant communities. Audience: Graduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027