37 | Introduction to Restoration Ecology Instructor’s Manual
Chapter 4 Site Inventory and Analysis Chapters 4 and 5 describe site inventory and analysis, one of the most important and central components of the theory and practice of restoration ecology. As we state in Chapter 1 (p. 20), matching species to the environmental conditions of a site is crucial to the success of a project, as is an understanding of its social milieu. Together, Chapters 4 and 5 introduce a procedural framework and a set of strategies, information sources, and tools with which restorationists become informed about a site and its context. The focus in Chapter 4 is on understanding the many ways the information provided by site inventory and analysis informs restorations, and on how to determine which features of a site to study for a particular project, how to locate existing information about those features, and how evaluate the information in order to apply it.
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Restorationists usually repeat the site inventory and analysis step several times during a project. We use the results to determine what community and habitat types a site will support, how the restoration of a community/ecosystem will be implemented, and how the completed restoration will be managed. The inventory describes the current conditions of the site features that are relevant for a specific stage of a particular project; the analysis describes the restoration opportunities that the site resources afford, as well as any constraints that need to be addressed.
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The focus of inventory and analysis does not stop at the boundaries of the project area but includes its physical, biological, and sociological context as well.
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The types of resources that are generally included in an inventory and analysis are topography, hydrology, soils, fauna, vegetation, cultural features, regulations and permits, human use patterns, and human perceptions. Exactly which resource features are involved depends on the project goals and objectives.
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In many cases, restorationists will be able to find existing information about a site from the Internet or in publications. Formats include digital and hard-copy maps, aerial photographs, satellite imagery, databases (some of which are georeferenced), and descriptive narratives. Sources include national, regional, and local governments; academic institutions; and private conservation organizations.
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Once the restoration team has gathered the site inventory data, one of the best ways to organize and communicate the findings is to create a series of maps that show the spatial locations of the site features. During site analysis, the team evaluates the data with respect to the desired project goals and objectives.
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Suitability analysis and opportunities and constraints analysis are the two most prominent approaches to site analysis.
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The results of the initial site inventory and analysis are included in the master plan report (see Section 6.4).