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18 RESTORATION OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS BOX 1.7 THE MEANING OF RESTORATION In this report, restoration is defined as the return of an ecosystem to a close approximation of its condition prior to disturbance. In restoration, ecological damage to the resource is repaired. Both the structure and the functions of the eco- system are recreated. Merely recreating the form without the functions, or the functions in an artificial configuration bearing little resemblance to a natural resource, does not constitute restoration. The goal is to emulate a natural, func- tioning, self-regulating system that is integrated with the eco- logical landscape in which it occurs. Often, natural resource restoration requires one or more of the following processes: reconstruction of antecedent physical hydrologic and morpho- logic conditions; chemical cleanup or adjustment of the envi- ronment; and biological manipulation, including revegetation and the reintroduction of absent or currently nonviable na- tive species. It is axiomatic that no restoration can ever be perfect; it I is impossible to replicate the biogeochemical and clima- tological sequence of events over geological time that led to the creation and placement of even one particle of soil, much less to exactly reproduce an entire ecosys- tem. Therefore, all restorations are exercises in approxi- mation and in the reconstruction of naturalistic rather ~ than natural assemblages of plants and animals with their physical environments. Berger, 1990 I, an artificial configuration bearing little resemblance to a natural form, does not constitute restoration. The objective is to emulate a natural, self-regulating system that is integrated ecologically with the land- scape in which it occurs. Often, restoration requires one or more of the following processes: reconstruction of antecedent physical con- ditions; chemical adjustment of the soil and water; and biological manipulation, including the reintroduction of absent native flora and fauna or of those made nonviable by ecological disturbances. An