[MPWG] WEB: Global Restoration Network

[Olivia Kwong]

GLOBAL RESTORATION NETWORK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-
MARCH 15, 2007

CONTACTS:
Keith Bowers | SER International Board Chair | kbowers at biohabitats.com | 
410.554.0156
Mary Kay LeFevour | Executive Director, SER & GRN |  mkl at ser.org | 
520.622.5485
Alisa Conroy | Dwell Creative | aconroy at dwellcreative.com | 207.772.0066


GLOBAL RESTORATION NETWORK LAUNCHES TODAY

CHANGING THE PRACTICE OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION AROUND THE WORLD-
IN THREE CLICKS OR LESS

Tucson, AZ- March 15, 2007- The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) 
International launches an innovative industry tool today, the Global 
Restoration Network (GRN)-a free, online hub for comprehensive information 
on ecological restoration at GlobalRestorationNetwork.org. A unique 
industry resource, the interactive website is rich with data, information, 
expertise and the latest techniques and innovations in restoration. Freely 
accessible to anyone in the world who has an Internet connection, users 
can now find the exact information they need to research, implement and 
improve their ecological restoration projects in three clicks or less.

"The root of ecological restoration is information, and the Global 
Restoration Network is SER International's answer to the rapid development 
of the science and practice of our comparatively young environmental 
field," says SER International Board Chair Keith Bowers. "We've gathered a 
massive amount of information in a few short decades, but had been lagging 
behind in our ability to make that information accessible. We now know 
quite a lot about the complex scientific, economic and social factors that 
lead to successful, sustainable restoration projects; the GRN makes this 
information freely available to everyone who needs it."

The Global Restoration Network improves the quality of restoration work 
worldwide with the click of a mouse. A specially designed database now 
allows users to conduct efficient searches by entering specifications such 
as the type of biome (wetland, grassland, etc), region of interest, source 
of degradation, and more. Search results include annotated links to the 
most relevant resources including literature, case studies, data sets, 
white papers, organizations, government resources and restoration experts. 
The GRN also offers endless lists of potential funders, educational and 
volunteer opportunities, video and audio feeds of Restoration Radio 
programs/interviews, descriptions of current and past restoration 
projects, thousands of links to restoration websites and blogs, and a 
growing directory of industry experts.

"Most professionals are vaguely aware of the impressive amount of 
restoration happening around the world. There is now a central hub of 
information where practitioners, communities, businesses and government 
agencies can benefit from one another's experience and hard work," says 
SER International Executive Director, Mary Kay LeFevour. "The Global 
Restoration Network makes it easy for everyone to find the exact 
information they need about any type of ecosystem or restoration 
challenge. Our hope is that it will make it easier for people to create 
sustainable restorations and stop wasting time, money and energy 
reinventing the wheel."

The GRN has been endorsed by leaders of the World Conservation Union 
(IUCN), the Convention On Biological Diversity, the Ecological Society of 
America, the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American 
Museum of Natural History, and the International Union of Forest Research 
Organizations. (Visit www.GlobalRestorationNetwork.org to read full 
endorsements).

Sponsors of the Global Restoration Network include the U.S. Forest 
Service, Biohabitats Inc., Chevron, Temper of the Times Foundation, 
Blackwell Publishing and Island Press.

The mission of SER International is 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. SER was 
founded in 1988, by a diverse group of people  including biologists, 
ecologists, philosophers, ethicists, community activists, and others. 
Today SER has more than 2,000 members worldwide and 14 Independent 
Chapters throughout the U.S., Mexico, India, Latin America and the 
Caribbean, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

Global Restoration Network (GRN) is an innovative project of the Society 
for Ecological Restoration International that offers the field of 
ecological restoration innovative tools and resources to better navigate 
the international scope of global restoration. For more information, visit 
www.GlobalRestorationNetwork.org.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Alisa Conroy | Dwell Creative | aconroy at dwellcreative.com | 207.772.0066


Endorsements
"The Global Restoration Network will serve the professional and student 
alike as the source of information on restoration," says Nikita 
Lopoukhine, chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas. "IUCN 
is very excited by this contribution by [SER International] to the world 
of conservation of biodiversity."

"The Global Restoration Network portal ... provides direct access to 
technical information on ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration," says 
Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological 
Diversity. "...As the world community continues its efforts to 
significantly reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, restoration science is 
becoming an increasingly important tool. The Global Restoration Network 
provides access to proven approaches and methodologies that help to avoid 
costly mistakes."

"The Global Restoration Network is an exceptional resource for students, 
teachers, and practitioners of ecological restoration, and the scope and 
depth of information available through the GRN is remarkable," said Dr. 
Eleanor J. Sterling, Director of the Center for Biodiversity and 
Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History. "Ongoing efforts 
to conserve biodiversity increasingly rely on the wide dissemination of 
knowledge and the forging of new connections between professionals, and 
the Society for Ecological Restoration International is taking a major 
step forward in addressing these needs by forming the GRN."

"The Global Restoration Network portal will be extremely useful for 
researchers and practitioners interested in forest restoration," says Dr. 
John Stanturf of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations' 
Global Forest Information Service. "The increasing awareness of the need 
to restore forests around the world to sustainable ecological functioning 
increasingly is translated into restoration programs and the Global 
Restoration Network will provide needed access to experience with what 
works."

"The GRN offers a wealth of information for researchers and teachers in 
conservation and restoration ecology," said Katherine S. McCarter, 
Executive Director of the Ecological Society of America, "and I anticipate 
it will quickly become a valuable tool..."