PRESENTATION OF THE EDITION
The Planet is experiencing an alarming situation due to the environmental crisis and climate change. The overexploitation of natural resources, pollution and global warming have induced changes in the functioning of ecosystems and decreases in biological diversity. Faced with this worrying situation, numerous scientific institutions and government organizations have been promoting ecological restoration programs. Yet, questions remain about whether we know enough to create functioning ecosystems, whether restoration is possible without prior conservation actions, or even whether restoration is feasible given the non-equilibrium nature of ecosystems. During the colloquium, we will review fundamental concepts of ecology that must be taken into account before undertaking conservation and restoration actions. We will discuss the importance of considering ecological succession and connectivity processes and how these are modulated by energy flows.
