The world faces many environmental challenges, with issues of pollution, habitat destruction, and others contributing to the decline of species and wilderness in many areas. Though these are problems that will require hard work to overcome, it’s important to remember that there is hope that things can get better.

Around the world, many restoration projects have made remarkable progress in rolling back the clock and restoring the natural world to some of its original splendour. To help inspire you, here are a couple examples of the amazing possibility that ecological restoration has to offer.

Students at Environmental School Can Look to Bamberger Ranch as a Monumental Success

In 1969, before restoration efforts began at what is now known as Selah, Bamberger Ranch Preserve in Texas, the land was in very poor shape. The ground was barren, an overabundance of Ashe juniper trees preventing adequate water distribution throughout the territory, and thereby hindering the growth of other plants and grasses. Animal life in the area was minimal. However, decades of hard work removing the Ashe juniper, introducing native grasses and other plant life, and performing other land restoration work helped the land undergo an amazing transformation.

Today, not only is the land home to a huge variety of plant and animal species, but a running stream has been able to make its way through the property, providing a much-needed source of water for the many species on the preserve. It’s an amazing result that is a testament to the transformation that can be effected by dedicated restoration work.

Completing a Natural Resource Management Degree can help you contribute directly to conservation projects just like this one. Learn important concepts relating to species and their place in ecological systems, and how to apply the methods used in conservation ecology. Soon enough, you could find yourself helping restore a run-down territory to health.

The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes is a Great Example of Good Ecological Restoration

The Shaker Parklands have been a designated green space since the late 1800s, but were threatened in the 1960s, when the land was considered as a home for a new highway leading to the nearby city of Cleveland, Ohio. Advocates managed to thwart that plan, however, and instead, the Nature Center was constructed. Today, it serves as a home for conservationists and local nature lovers to gather and enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding area, and offers programming to help educate curious guests about the park, and nature more generally.

Though the park has been established for a long time, it remains a prime example of the value of restoration efforts today, as staff and volunteers devote a lot of time to managing and removing exotic, invasive plants. It’s a lower-key version of restoration than the activities that went on with projects like the Bamberger Ranch mentioned above, but a good reminder that environmental management is an ongoing project.

If working on this kind of project sounds appealing to you, you’ll find completing a Natural Resource Management Master’s program is excellent preparation. In addition to learning how to contribute to the management of species and environments in an ecological system, you can learn valuable skills that will allow you to communicate clearly on matters of science and conservation. Use those to relate the core message of restoration and preservation work you are contributing to, and you may be able to reach and inspire interested individuals outside of your organization.

Do you want to complete an online Master’s program at a great environmental school?

Contact Unity College to learn how you can get started!