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This research guide covers:
The literature covering the theory and science of restoration ecology and the principles and practices of ecological restoration is scattered in a variety of publications across many disciplines. These publications include scholarly articles, books and project reports. For additional information on scientific literature in general see the Searching the Scientific Literature research guide.
General strategies for preparing an efficient and effective literature search are found in the Searching the Scientific Literature research guide. In restoration ecology, search topics typically incorporate one or more of the following concepts and their associated keywords:
Keyword examples: restoration, reclamation, recovery, repair, mitigation, assessment, monitoring, degradation, damage, destruction, rehabilitation, transformation, or deterioration; or their wildcard variants (e.g., restor* will retrieve restoration, restore, restored, restoring)
Keyword examples: estuarine, watershed, wetland, grassland, riparian, plants, wildlife
Keyword examples: Klamath River, Salt River, Humboldt Bay, Channel Islands
Keyword examples: project, plan, assessment, case study
I am interested in finding out basic information on the restoration of wetlands
What research studies exist on the restoration of native vegetation on the Channel Islands, CA
I want to find any restoration project reports on revegetation on the Channel Islands, CA
In addition to keywords that have been suggested above, the SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration includes an excellent introduction to keywords used in restoration ecology and ecological restoration.
Books on restoration ecology range from general to specific. Books that are more general in nature contain information that is synthesized and condensed from specific research studies. They are often excellent works to consult to understand the theory, science and practice of restoration ecology. Books that are more specific in nature focus on a specific topic or restoration project. They may be theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, or project reports.
Books available locally are indexed in the CPH Library Catalog. The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is good for indexing federal documents.
In searching the above catalogs, use a combination of "official" subjects and "free-text" keywords that have been suggested under the Search Strategies tab of this guide above. Following are some of the "official" subjects taken from Library of Congress Subject Headings that are used for indexing restoration ecology books in library catalogs:
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Following is an example of a search on riparian restoration in the Great Basin using the WorldCat database:
Find and learn about restoration projects to research further.
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Restoration Database
Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) Restoration in Action - Restoration Stories
Ecological Restoration Institute Library (Northern Arizona University) Contains resources relating to ecological restoration. The library includes articles involving ecological and sociopolitical research, congressional testimony, newsletters, press releases, slides, videos, working papers, and white papers.
Finding examples of restoration plans, project and case studies is more difficult. Use the Publication Type keywords suggested in Search Strategy tab in this guide above in the following sources:
Special Collections in the CPH Library
Environmental Protection Agency National Service Center for Environmental Publications (EPA)
US Forest Service (USDA)
Use Google to search specific relevant government agency websites by using the site prefix- for example:
"site:www.fws.gov restoration plan mississippi" will search the Fish & Wildlife Service website for plans involving Mississippi
"site:fdlp.gov restoration plan klamath" will search the Federal Depository Library Program website for plans involving Klamath