Restoration practice is driven by the tension between a technological approach to restoration—technological restoration—and a participatory, humble, culturally aware approach, or what this author terms "focal restoration." The furious debates among practicing restorationists regarding these issues and others provide particular perspectives on relations between science, technology, and ethics. Moreover, conceptual clarity offers practitioners a guide to pitfalls and opportunities for good restoration.
Concept and Origins
Restoration is practiced in all regions of the world, although what counts as restoration varies according to cultural perspective and socioeconomic condition. This has complicated the creation of a precise definition of this relatively new field, especially because international conversation and cooperative projects have become more common in the early-twenty-first century. In North America, the aim is typically to restore an ecosystem to its predisturbance condition under the presumption that reversion to a pristine, original state is the ideal end point. In Europe and other regions, long and continuous human occupation has resulted in landscapes that present a distinctively cultural benchmark. In many regions of the southern hemisphere, and especially in areas where poverty and civil disruption prevail, the focus is on restoration of productive landscapes that support both ecological and cultural ideals.
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