9628763 Allen A workshop will be convened to improve the scientific basis of ecological restoration. The field of restoration biology is growing rapidly and is in need of a stronger conceptual basis. Restoration may be considered an experimental tool for understanding functioning of ecological systems, but the promise of the contribution restoration ecology can make has not been fulfilled. There are literally thousands of restoration projects throughout the country, with many opportunities for restoration research on already-prepared sites. However, the number of these projects in which researchers collaborate remains relatively small. The goals of the workshop are to encourage more scientists to write high quality proposals, enhance the conceptual basis of restoration research, and develop linkages between scientists and practitioners. A major theme is changing the emphasis in restoration from an anecdotal to a scientific approach. A two-day workshop will be organized hierarchically to discuss organismal, community, ecosystem, and landscape level issues relevant o restoration. The workshop will determine if there are conceptual challenges to restoration that are unique to restoration biology. A special area of emphasis will be building partnerships between practitioners and theorists to improve the practice and research in restoration biology. The topic of this workshop is timely and important. The products of the workshop will be a report to NSF regarding mechanisms to increase and improve the quality of restoration oriented proposals, and a set of published paper to expand upon the themes discussed at the workshop.
