Usefulness of the novel ecosystem concept

Abstract

The novel ecosystem concept describes an ecosystem comprising species composition and an abiotic environment, which is completely different from the historical ecosystem. This concept has greatly influenced recent restoration ecology. Hobbs et al. (2006), its advocate, describes the boundary between the novel ecosystem and others as a “threshold,” insisting that different management methods designed to maximize the benefits gained from ecosystems should be adopted for a novel ecosystem that crosses an irreversible “threshold.” This differs from conventional ecological restoration methods, that is, restoring a site to its historical state. Although criticized, this concept has been used in numerous studies such as those in which novel ecosystems support high species diversity or endangered species’ habitats. The concept is useful when applied to research regarding environments with high human influence, such as urban areas.