What does restoration mean, anyway?

Wetlands support biodiversity, buffer against flooding, filter water, and sequester carbon, yet thousands of acres are lost to urbanization and agriculture annually. Efforts to amend this via restoration are on the rise, as is research investigating whether restoration restores these ecosystem services. However, how wetlands are restored and by what means they were degraded (i.e. agricultural drainage or recreational damming) vary drastically. Uncertainty concerning how this variability alters ecosystem structure, and consequently function, makes it difficult to compare restoration sites. This problem must be investigated, and communicated to the public and policymakers, to safeguard the future of these valuable ecosystems.