Restoring social and ecological relationships in the agroecosystems of Canada's prairie region

Abstract

Ecosystem restoration is proposed as one aspect of the transformative changes required to meet global sustainability goals. In the prairie region of Canada, where the widespread and relatively recent conversion of natural ecosystems to farmland displaced Indigenous peoples and made way for a thriving agricultural sector, I propose that ecosystem restoration requires two intertwined transition processes: reorienting worldviews to embrace the social and biophysical contexts of local ecosystems, and taking practical steps to restore ecosystem functioning and integrity. Attention to ecosystem functioning—the relational processes that undergird the desired outcomes—can promote the design and implementation of agricultural landscapes that mimic key features of natural ecosystems while maintaining a mix of land uses. Human ingenuity and thoughtful integration of traditional and scientific knowledge are needed to develop locally adapted land use that supports synergetic relationships within and among farm fields and other landscape features. Integrating social goals into the design of agricultural landscapes can spawn creative solutions but will require a shift toward a more open and collaborative approach, especially regarding the use of privately owned lands.