Renaturierungsökologie im Spannungsfeld zwischen Naturschutz und neuartigen Ökosystemen

As biological conservation alone cannot preserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions under global change, ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems and landscapes is gaining importance. At the same rime land-use changes, shifting regional species pools and introductions of non-native species are contributing to the development of 'novel ecosystems', which may prevent restoration of historical semi-natural plant communities or near-natural landscapes. Strategies proposed mainly by Australian and North American scientists are not readily applicable under the environmental and legal conditions of Central Europe. This has led to a controversial international debate about the value of novel ecosystems and about acceptable types and degrees of restoration, especially regarding the species and genotypes to be introduced or tolerated. Our paper explores the international debate from a Central European perspective.