Current Advancements Future Obstacles Recovery and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem Habitats

Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are compromised by several stressors due to the expanding human population. Global-scale effects include the homogeneity of biological communities, the elimination of apex predators and ecosystem engineers, chemical pollution from surplus nutrients and toxins, along with the degradation of structural diversity, connectedness, and process dynamics. A critical social need exists to reverse the deterioration of biodiversity and restore lost ecosystem functions and services in aquatic environments either facilitating natural recovery or implementing active restoration efforts. Restoring ecosystems is important for a variety of reasons, many of which are often overlooked. Our typology categorizes motives into five rationales: technocratic, biotic, heuristic, idealistic, and pragmatic. Technocratic restoration refers to government agencies or major enterprises carrying out specified institutional tasks and responsibilities. The biotic motivation for restoration is to regain lost components of local biodiversity. Many species are more locally restricted in freshwater ecosystems, rooted plants and insects play a larger role, and marine systems are much more dispersed and interconnected than freshwater ones. These distinctions call for distinct strategies; in fresh water, there is greater room for active restoration effort, whereas in marine systems, natural recovery may be more effectively harnessed. The heuristic reasoning seeks to elicit or show ecological principles and biotic manifestations. The idealistic reasoning includes personal and cultural displays of concern or atonement for environmental destruction, reconnecting with nature, and seeking spiritual satisfaction. The pragmatic argument aims to restore ecosystems to offer essential natural services and goods for human economy, as well as to mitigate climatic extremes induced by ecosystem degradation. We recommend broadening the scope of technocratic restoration to incorporate the pragmatic reason, which is becoming more acknowledged. We argue that technocratic restoration is excessively dictatorial, while idealistic restoration is limited by a lack of administrative skills. A combination of the two methods would help both. Three instances of restoration that combine technocratic, idealistic, and pragmatic perspectives show the possibilities for a more cohesive approach. The biotic and heuristic rationales are compatible with the other rationales.