Ecological restoration at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum and beyond: Building and sharing collective knowledge through a participatory leadership framework

Abstract

The Society for Ecological Restoration defines restoration as “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.” The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is an “all‐hands‐on‐deck” call to revive imperilled ecosystems around the world. The task at hand is more than professional practitioners and organizations can handle alone. Volunteers play a critically important role in restoring the structure and function of the world's most degraded ecosystems. The 485 ha University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum is the site of some of the oldest restored ecological communities in the world. Like many restoration sites, long‐term management of these communities requires expertise and sustained volunteer engagement. The Arboretum fosters expertise and engagement with a two‐pronged approach. This includes (1) the Arboretum's Restoration Team Leader Program, which trains and empowers restoration volunteers to lead community members in on‐the‐ground restoration, and (2) the Restoration Managers Who Work with Volunteers group that convenes restoration managers from multiple organizations for collaborative projects. These programs facilitate ecological restoration by working directly with volunteers and are models of participatory leadership and communities of practice. Here, we share the principles, practices and frameworks behind these programs and illustrate how this model can be replicated to strengthen community‐based restoration around the globe.