Ecological restoration (hereafter restoration) is "the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been damaged, degraded or destroyed" (Society for Ecological Restoration Science & Policy Working Group). Restoration ecology and ecological restoration are terms often interchanged: The former is the scientific practice that is contained within the broader embrace of the latter, which incorporates both science and many varieties of technological and political practice.

Restoration refers to an array of salutary human interventions in ecological processes, including the elimination of weedy species that choke out diverse native assemblies, prevention of harmful activities (such as excess nutrient loads), rejuvenation of soil conditions that foster vigorous plant communities, reestablishment of extirpated species, and rebuilt webs of social participation that foster ecologically rich and productive ecosystems. The metaphor of healing is often used to describe what restorationists do.

However not everyone regards restoration as a fully positive...