Thoughts on Ecological Restoration and Climate Change

Biohabitats’ Leaf Litter
Vol. 5 Number 4
http://www.biohabitats.com/ndg_newsite/newsletter/number.23/

European Heat Wave“Have Doubled”Early 2007 Saw Record-Breaking Extreme WeatherArtic Sea Ice is Expected to Retreat to a Record LowGreenhouse Gases Hit New High, Rise Accelerates

You’d have to be on a solo trip to the most remote regions of Antarctica to miss the hundreds of global warming headlines that appear weekly in our news outlets. Then again, with the ice melting beneath your feet, perhaps you’d still have a notion that the topic of climate change is heating up – fast.

Whether you credit the UN, Al Gore or the growing legions of global warming organizations, climate change is top of mind worldwide. To some, it connotes a dreadful, apocalyptic future. To others, it presents an unprecedented opportunity to dramatically change the way we operate on our planet. But what does it mean to those of us involved in ecological restoration?

We’ll talk with Richard J. Hobbs, an Australian environmental science professor who co-authored an article on the topic of ecological restoration and global climate change for the journal Restoration Ecology. Take a look at your responses to our reader survey.

Ever wondered how ecological succession and infrastructure deterioration would progress if we humans suddenly disappeared?Kevin Heatley of Biohabitats Invasive Species Management reviews Alan Weisman’s “The World Without Us,” a book which does just that.

The resources section of this issue is loaded with links to explore for more information on global warming and ecological restoration. You’ll definitely want to take a look at one of the most sizzling topics of our time and examine how it affects our work in ecological restoration. Finally, catch up on the latest at Biohabitats.

As always, we want to know what you think. Share your thoughts on Leaf Litter by contacting our editor.