STRATEGIC ISSUES ARTICLE
Professional certification in ecological restoration: improving the practice and the profession Cara R. Nelson1,2 , Keith Bowers3 , Jennifer L. Lyndall4 , John Munro5 , John T. Stanley6 Given increasing investments in ecological restoration around the globe, there is a need to develop standards of practice to improve professional training and encourage the highest quality of performance possible. Although professional certification is a mechanism for promoting and improving the profession, until now certification has not been available to individuals who practice ecological restoration. The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) is launching a professional certification program in early 2017. The program requires professional experience, a knowledge base in five broad subject areas, understanding of the foundations of the profession, and adherence to a code of ethics. The SER certification program will certify both practitioners (Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners [CERPs]) and practitioners-in-training (Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners-in-training [CERPITs]). Key words: credential, education, knowledge, profession, standards
Over the last 25 years, ecological restoration has grown from a small niche within natural resource management to a well-recognized and widespread activity for conserving biodiversity and enhancing ecosystem goods and services in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recent global initiatives, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity’s strategic target of 15% of degraded lands restored by 2020, and the Bonn Challenge’s call for nations to restore 150 million hectares of degraded forest also by 2020 (Alexander et al. 2011; Aronson & Alexander 2013), highlight the growing global importance of ecological restoration. Annual investments in ecological restoration worldwide are now well over a trillion dollars (Cunningham 2002). This level of investment presents both an unprecedented opportunity and one of the grand challenges of our times, given that it is, of course, much harder to repair degraded ecosystems than it is to damage them in the first place. To maximize the potential benefits of ecological restoration, there is an urgent need to promote the use of professional standards and to encourage the highest quality of performance possible. One well-established mechanism for accomplishing both of these goals is professional certification (Harris 2001). This article provides an overview of the Society for Ecological Restoration’s (SER’s) development of the first ecological restoration practitioner certification program, which is being launched internationally in early 2017. When SER was formed, more than 25 years ago, it adopted the mission to “promote ecological restoration as a means of sustaining the diversity of life on earth and reestablishing an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.” This mission includes not just increasing the quantity of ecological restoration activities, but also improving the capacity for restoration to achieve ecological and social benefits. Toward
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that end, SER provides practitioners with the technical guidance and services necessary to support the profession. Some of SER’s resources include publication of the peer-reviewed journal Restoration Ecology; publication of SER foundation documents (e.g. SER-SPWG 2004; Clewell et al. 2005; Gann & Lamb 2006; Keenleyside et al. 2012; McDonald et al. 2016); publication of the Science and Practice of Ecological Restoration Book Series (Island Press; 28 books to date); and an active world, regional, and local conference program that allows for the exchange of ideas, best practices, and technical guidance for ecological restoration. Certification programs generally are implemented and managed by professional societies, because it is these societies that are best equipped to set and promote agreed-upon standards for both knowledge and experience in their fields (Matlock et al. 2001). SER’s members, including both professional and volunteer practitioners of ecological restoration, have had a long-standing interest in the Society’s development of a certification program. SER’s earliest discussions about certification date as far back as its second annual conference in 1990. Development of a professional certification program, however, requires a discipline to be mature enough to have not just the Author contributions: CRN wrote the manuscript, except the program overview section, which was written by JL; KB, JL, JM, JS contributed to and edited the manuscript. 1 Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, U.S.A. 2 Address correspondence to C. R. Nelson, email
[email protected] 3 Biohabitats, Inc., Charleston, SC 29492, U.S.A. 4 Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, DC 20005, U.S.A. 5 Munro Ecological Services, Inc., Harleysville, PA 19438, U.S.A. 6 WWW RESTORATION, Paradise, CA 95969, U.S.A.
© 2017 Society for Ecological Restoration doi: 10.1111/rec.12484
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interchange of ideas among members but also an identified body of knowledge, a set of required competencies, and a code of ethics (Gilley & Galbraith 1986). Toward that end, SER has spent the last 10 years developing these resources. In 2004, the SER International Science and Policy Working Group published its Primer on Ecological Restoration, which has been widely used as the standard for defining the field, and in 2005 Clewell et al. published Guidelines for Developing and Managing Ecological Restoration Projects (Clewell et al. 2005). Knowledge required for the practice was assessed through a survey of degree programs in ecological restoration (Nelson et al. 2008) and of the specific subjects required by these programs (compiled for SER by Nelson and Keville). A code of ethics for the profession was adopted by the Society in 2011, and SER’s Science and Policy Committee in collaboration with SER Australasia published its International Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration – Including Principles and Key Concepts (McDonald et al. 2016) in 2016. In addition, SER has had a series of active committees on certification since 2003 that have worked to develop certification proposals (proposals submitted in 2005, 2014, and 2016) and address feedback from SER members and external reviewers. This work has paid off, and SER is now ready to launch the program. Over the last 60 years, there has been increasing recognition in many fields of the benefits of professional certification (Glenn 2006). Although not a guarantee of the quality of any individual practitioner or their work, the process of certification ensures that certified individuals have met professional standards (Glenn 2006). In doing so, certification programs benefit individual practitioners by improving professional training and individual performance, increasing income from professional activities and increasing professional status, while also advancing the overall profession by establishing and promoting professional standards, protecting public health and welfare, and allowing a field to grow and develop (Gilley & Galbraith 1986). To date, however, there has not been a process for ecological restoration practitioners to become certified professionals. Certifications and licenses (e.g. certifications in ecology and wetland science and licenses in civil engineering and landscape architecture) are currently available in related disciplines; these programs, however, are based on knowledge and competencies specific to these fields, rather than core requirements for ecological restoration. Similarly, a growing number of academic institutions offer degree or certificate programs in ecological restoration (Nelson et al. 2008); these programs address the knowledge base of the profession of ecological restoration, but the extent to which they also address its core competencies, ethics, or professional experience varies by program.
Program Overview SER’s program is being developed specifically to create a high professional standard for those engaged in the practice of ecological restoration (including designing, implementing, overseeing, and monitoring ecological restoration projects and programs) throughout the world. Toward this end, SER’s
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certification program will be based on the following areas: (1) knowledge base; (2) professional level experience; (3) foundations of the practice; and (4) code of ethics. Successful restoration requires multi- and interdisciplinary knowledge, combining biological and physical sciences, natural resource management and conservation (including both ecological and human dimensions), and inventory and assessment. Consequently, SER’s certification program requires knowledge in each of these core areas (Table 1). Recognizing that knowledge can be gained through many avenues, the program allows applicants to petition to demonstrate knowledge in areas in which they have not completed coursework. In addition to knowledge, certified practitioners need to have project- or program-level experience. The certification program will require 5 years of full-time restoration experience (or equivalence thereof). Experience may include any aspect of restoration projects, including planning, design, implementation, monitoring, and/or oversight, and may be demonstrated through descriptions and/or documentation related to implemented projects. The SER certification program will certify both practitioners (Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners [CERPs]) and practitioners-in-training (Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners-in-training [CERPITs]). CERPs will be those practitioners who meet the 5 years of full-time professional-level restoration experience in addition to the required knowledge background, while CERPITs will be either those practitioners who do not yet have 5 years of full-time experience with restoration, or those with sufficient experience who are still developing their knowledge base. Certification at both levels is valid for 5 years from the date of approval, after which it may be renewed every 5 years by earning approved continuing education credits, which help ensure that certified practitioners stay up-to-date with research, practices, and technologies associated with this rapidly evolving profession. These credits can be earned through formal coursework (college- or graduate-level courses relevant to the field of ecological restoration), specialized training (short courses and workshops), or through other professional activities, including attending or making presentations at conferences or symposia; writing, co-writing, editing, or reviewing publications; developing instructional and audio-visual materials or instructing courses or workshops; service to a professional society that is relevant to restoration; or participating in ecological restoration volunteer activities. SER’s Professional Practitioner Certification Program is made possible by the volunteer efforts of SER members, who serve on five standing committees: Standards, Continuing Education, Certification, Appeals and Disciplinary, and Marketing and Outreach. Committee members review applications, establish program requirements, develop and administer continuing education credits, and identify opportunities for collaborations and partnerships. These committees will also be responsible for reviewing and revising the program; specific requirements may change in response to both lessons learned from implementing the program and changes in the field of ecological restoration.
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Table 1. Knowledge base requirements for professional certification in ecological restoration, including credit requirements and examples of courses in each subject area. Subject Area
Credit Requirements
Course Examples
Biological science
15 credits (at least nine credits in ecology)
Physical science
15 credits (at least six credits in soils, hydrology, or climate science) 12 credits (at least three credits in ecological dimension and three in human dimensions)
General biology (e.g. cell biology, genetics); ecology (e.g. forest ecology, wetland ecology, freshwater ecology, ecosystem ecology); botany (e.g. plant taxonomy, plant physiology); zoology (e.g. mammology, wildlife population biology, entomology) Soil science, hydrology, geology, climate science, physics, chemistry, fluvial geomorphology Ecological dimensions (e.g. forest management, fire management, range management, management of native or natural communities, invasive species management, conservation of wildlife populations, plant conservation, project planning and management) Human dimensions (e.g. ethics of resource management, human behavior, public administration, interpersonal communications, natural resource policy or law, conflict resolution) Sampling theory and design, monitoring and assessment, data management, field techniques, geographical information systems, remote sensing, biometrics, statistics Ecological restoration, restoration ecology
Resource management and conservation
Quantitative science
Nine credits (at least six credits in inventory, monitoring, or assessment)
Ecological restoration
Six credits
Applications for certification will be accepted online through the SER certification program website (www.ser.org/page/ certification). There will be two application windows each year—one ending in March and the other ending in September. The first application window will open in early 2017. Each year, the Certification Program will accept nominations for open positions on its Standards, Continuing Education, Certification, Appeals and Disciplinary, and Marketing and Outreach Committees. If you have any questions about the program or if you are interested in volunteering, please email SER’s Certification Program Coordinator at
[email protected].
Acknowledgments The development of the certification program would not have been possible without the work of a dedicated and long-standing certification committee, led over the years by John Munro (2003–2005), Keith Bowers (2007–2009), John Stanley (2009–2015), and Jennifer Lyndall (2015–2016). John Munro, John Stanley, and Jennifer Lyndall were the first authors of certification proposals submitted to the Society in 2005, 2014, and 2016, respectively. In addition to these committee chairs, a large number of SER members and others contributed to the development of the certification process through their service on the Committee; these include but are not limited to Sasha Alexander, Sean Anderson, Todd Aschenbach, Joe Berg, Connie Bersok, Steve Bosak, Keith Bowers, Andre Clewell, Juli Crane, Kingsley Dixon, Jim Dougan, Jim Furnish, Bonnie Harper-Lore, Eric Higgs, Sven Hoeger, Michael Hogan, Robert Jontos, Amanda Jorgenson, Kelly Keefe, Jen Lyndall, Mickey Marcus, Carol Maxwell,
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Mary Beth McCormack, John Munro, Carolina Murcia, Cara Nelson, Mark O’Leary, Blair Pardy, David Polster, John Rieger, Karen Rodriguez, Johanna Salatas, Nancy Shaw, Dan Spencer, John Stanley, Tom St Clair, Joshua Tallis, Jim Thorne, John Tobe, Michael Toohill, Mary Travaglini, Al Unwin, Rebecca Vidra, Bethanie Walder, Regina Wandler, Steve Windhager, and Keith Winterhalder. Stephen Murphy provided suggestions that greatly improved this manuscript. LITERATURE CITED Alexander S, Nelson CR, Aronson J, Lamb D, Cliquet A, Erwin K, et al. (2011) Opportunities and challenges for ecological restoration within REDD+. Restoration Ecology 19:683–794 Aronson J, Alexander S (2013) Ecosystem restoration is now a global priority: time to roll up our sleeves. Restoration Ecology 21:293–296 Clewell A, Rieger J, Munro J (2005) Guidelines for developing and managing ecological restoration projects. 2nd edition. Society for Ecological Restoration International, Tucson, Arizona Cunningham S (2002) The restoration economy: the greatest new growth frontier. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Oakland, California Gann GD, Lamb D (2006) Ecological restoration: a means of conserving biodiversity and sustaining livelihoods. Society for Ecological Restoration International, Tucson, Arizona and IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Gilley JW, Galbraith MW (1986) Professional certification: implications for adult education and HRD. Information Series No. 307. Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education, Columbus, Ohio Glenn JML (2006) EE certification: making best practice standard practice. Environmental Education and Training Partnership, Stevens Point, WI Harris PM (2001) The guide to national professional certification programs. Human Resource Development Press, Amherst, Massachusetts Keenleyside KA, Dudley N, Cairns S, Hall CM, Stolton S (2012) Ecological restoration for protected areas: principles, guidelines and best practices. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
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Matlock MD, Osborn GS, Hession WC, Kenimer AL, Storm DE (2001) Ecological engineering: a rationale for standardized curriculum and professional certification in the United States. Ecological Engineering 17:403–409 McDonald T, Gann GD, Jonson J, Dixon KW (2016) International standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration – including principles and key concepts. Society for Ecological Restoration, Washington, District of Columbia
Nelson CR, Schoennagel T, Gregory E (2008) Opportunities for academic training in the science and practice of restoration within the United States and Canada. Restoration Ecology 16:225–230 SER-SPWG (Society for Ecological Restoration International Science and Policy Working Group) (2004) The SER international primer on ecological restoration. 2nd edition. Society for Ecological Restoration International, Tucson, Arizona
Coordinating Editor: Stephen Murphy
Received: 2 November, 2016; First decision: 2 November, 2016; Revised: 18 November, 2016; Accepted: 18 November, 2016; First published online: 11 January, 2017
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