Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes

A fusion of ecological restoration and sustainable development, restorative redevelopment represents an emerging paradigm for remediating landscapes. Rather than merely fixing the broken bits and pieces of nature, restorative development advocates the reuse of devastated landscapes to improve the value and livability of a location for humans at the same time as effectively reinstating natural processes and functions. Restorative Redevelopment of Devastated Ecocultural Landscapes explores the use of this approach to address the long-term, sustainable reparation of the fabled marshlands of southern Iraq destroyed by Saddam Hussein, as well as numerous examples of other ecologically sensitive regions.
Case studies presented include:


Southern marshlands Iraq
Hula swamp, Israel
Azraq Oasis, Jordan
Las Vegas Wash, USA
Xochimilco, Mexico
Pantanal, Brazil
Clark County Wetlands Park, USA
Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Lake Titicaca, Peru
Nature Reserves, Jordan

The book reviews successfully-implemented and celebrated case studies from more than 15 countries around the world which, either in whole or in part, can offer valuable insight into the restorative development of the Iraqi marshlands as well as other devastated ecocultural landscapes. It presents practical approaches for sustaining the process of restoration efforts, both during and after the reparation work has been accomplished. The editor suggests solutions targeted for Iraq but that also have resonance in other regions devastated by conflict and natural disasters. He takes a synoptic or cross-system approach to problem solving when repairing large-scale landscapes that have been devastated by conflict or natural disasters such as tsunami-damaged Indonesia and earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Robert France is Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he began teaching in the Fall of 1997. France has authored numerous papers on the ecology and conservation biology of organism from bacteria and algae to birds and whales, on research topics from environmental pollution to theoretical biodiversity, and in locations ranging from the High Arctic to the tropics. France is a recently appointed series editor for Lewis/CRC Press on the topic Integrative Studies in Water Management and Land Development.

BACKGROUNDEnvironmental Restoration Theory and PracticeRestoration: Philosophical and Political Contexts, E.V. SpelmanRestoration, Ecological Citizenry, and Ziggurat Building in Iraq, R. FranceRestoring Babylon: Leaving a Better Iraq for This Century of Revitalization, S. CunninghamEnvironmental Planning Theory and PracticeBefore the Master Plan: A Framework and Some Difficult Questions for Regional Land Use Planning, C. SteinitzControl Models of Tourism Development and Conservation Management with Respect to Indigenous Culture, S.-Y. LuDesert Wetland RestorationsWetlands Lost and Found in the Levant, R. FranceRehabilitation of a Historic Wetland: Jordan’s Azraq Oasis, R. FranceIntegrated Restoration and Adaptive Management of the Las Vegas Wash, R. FranceWETLANDS AND NATURE RESERVESEcosystemsHydrology and Wetland Restoration for Human Subsistence and Regional Biodiversity: The Challenge to Restore the Living Landscape of Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes of Iraq, S.I. Apfelbaum and J.P. LudwigRebuilding Wetlands and Waterfowl Resources in North and South America: Importance of Capacity Building and Landscape Perspective, R. FrancePeoplePreservation, Rehabilitation, and Management of Heritage Wetlands in Mexico, R. FranceInvolving People in Science and Sustainability in the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil, R. FrancePlanning and Development of a Desert Wetland Park in the United States, R. FranceLiving over Water: Introduction to Ecotourism Development Concerns for the Tonle Sap, Cambodia, and Lake Titicaca, Peru, R. France and E. SyariffudinEcology and EconomicsEcotourism, Local Economy, and Ecological Strategies in Planning Nature Reserves in Panama, R. FranceSustainable Development and Nature Conservation in Jordan, R. FranceINNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND TECHNOLOGIESTransportation Planning and DesignTransportation Corridors as Vehicles for Cultural and Ecological Regeneration, I. Jones, R. Senos, I. Luters and R. FranceAlternative Wasterwater Treatment, Reuse, and InfrstructureLinking Water Treatment with Wetland Restoration: Engineering Challenges and Associated Benefits, R. FranceAdvanced Ecotechnology for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, D. AustinInfrastructure Models for Ecological Wastewater Management, S. WallaceAgriculture and Water ManagementSalinity Management in Arid Regions: Lessons for Iraq from the Western United States, R. FranceManaging Scarce Water Resources in Agriculture in West Asia and North Africa, T.Y. Oweis and A.Y. HachumEpilogue: Cambodia’s Institutional Frameworks for Ecocultural Restorative Redevelopment: Introduction to Optimistic Management Models Useful for Iraq, R. FranceIndex