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Restoration amounts to returning as closely as possible
a degraded and depleted natural resource to its self-sustaining condition prior to disturbance. It
is a management activity that aims to actually reverse the destructive effects of contamination,
ill-conceived development, and resource exploitation that are responsible for species extinctions
and environmental collapse.
Through dramatic profiles of environmental renewal, How On Earth will address the
difficult questions arising from restoration goals and actions: Should humans be in the business of
re-creating nature, and how "natural" are the systems that scientists and engineers recreate? Do
we have the knowledge and resources to be successful? How can we justify the enormous expense some
projects entail, and how do we make choices among competing restoration priorities? What happens when
restoration goals collide with private property rights? What are the consequences if we wait? On a
continent where no rivers or streams exist without some trace of contamination and where one-fifth
of animal species and one-sixth of plant types are at risk of extinction by the end of the century,
there is no lack of urgency to this process. By presenting compelling restoration stories,
How On Earth will provide the public with a glimpse into the complexities and
challenges to restore our natural heritage, thus helping to facilitate informed debate and accelerate
enlightened action in the years ahead.
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