Issues in forest restoration: Integrating ecological restoration and conservation biology: a case study from Southwestern ponderosa pine forests

Among the many challenges land managers face in implementing restoration projects, one of the greatest is the difficulty of integrating restoration with other management imperatives. One of the most significant of those is the need to manage natural areas for the conservation of native animal and plant species. Some species are popular for hunting and wildlife watching; many serve vital ecological roles; many are rare and under special legal protection. It is not always clear if their habitat needs are compatible with restoring ecological integrity across the landscape. Yet there is evidence that ecological restoration can overlap to a large degree with the priorities of conservation biology. In 2004 the Ecological Restoration Institute sponsored two workshops aimed at exploring this issue