Announcement of an international symposium: 30 October – 2 November 2005

STRATEGIES FOR RESTORING NATURAL CAPITAL

Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Attendance by invitation only

CONVENORS

Dr. James Aronson (Restoration Ecology Group, CEFE, CNRS, France)

Prof. James Blignaut (Dept. of Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa)

Prof. Peter Raven (Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO)

PURPOSE

The compilation of a book, in the SER International-Island Press Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration series, as a companion to a book entitled Restoring Natural Capital – Views from the South. This new volume will advance our understanding of natural capital, its role in the biosphere, and its values in human societies. In addition, we will formulate strategies and tactics combining economic, social, and ecological perspectives, which will contribute to the restoration of natural capital at local, regional, and planetary scales.

BACKGROUND

Ecological economics seeks to build the science and management of sustainability by a) pointing out the fallacies of conventional, neoclassical economics with regards the relationships between ecosystems and economic systems, and b) by insisting on the need to maintain, and invest in, natural capital. Ecological economist Herman Daly succinctly framed the proposition that natural capital is the limiting factor concerning development when he stated (personal communication Jan. 25, 2005):

More and more, the complementary factor in short supply (limiting factor) is remaining natural capital, not manmade capital as it used to be. For example, populations of fish, not fishing boats, limit fish catch worldwide. Economic logic says to invest in the limiting factor. That logic has not changed, but the identity of the limiting factor has.

This is while neoclassical economists pursue the ideal of a utilitarian maximising society based on the calculation of the flows yielded by human, man-made or natural capital, and trading the respective tiers of capital according to this flow maximising principle as if the tiers of capital were substitutes. Concurrently, over the past three decades, ecological restoration has emerged as a widely popular, trans-cultural initiative that fosters the recovery of ecosystems that have been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Although seldom expressed in this fashion, it thus represents a practical way to replenish or augment current stocks of natural capital, and flows of ecosystem goods and services, while also providing direct benefit for human well-being in the form of job creation and various immaterial benefits as well (e.g. social, cultural and spiritual).

Until now, many economists have taken cognisance of ecological engineering, but not of ecological restoration. As compared to ecological engineering, the goal of ecological restoration is to recover autogenic (self-sustaining) systems requiring few management and maintenance inputs . Ideally, ecologically restored ecosystems should offer a large palette of ecosystem goods and services. Ecological restoration also has potential to address myriad environmental ills as well as social problems, such as unemployment, unsanitary conditions and aesthetically depressing and dehumanising landscapes . Traditional ecological knowledge and socio-ecological systems models can inform ecological restoration, and restoration approaches should be sensitive to cultural needs and norms.

Despite their obvious complementarities, there has been little interaction - let alone cross-fertilisation – between economics and restoration ecology to date. What is novel about this project is that it will bring together a large portion of the people who have considered these issues, from a range of different intellectual and cultural perspectives . Our goal is to develop a clear rationale a) for doing ecological restoration and restoration ecology on a conceptual basis of natural capital, and b) for actual investments of financial and human capital in the hands-on replenishment of natural capital, in ever-closer concert with rational ecosystem management and nature conservation.