"This book explores the interface between restoration ecology and ecological restoration. It aims at introducing Masters and PhD students, teachers, researchers and natural-resource managers to interactions between theory and practice. It challenges ecologists to explore the applicability of current theories and concepts, recognizing that these have not been developed with such applications in mind. The academic foundations of restoration ecology are revisited for this purpose, to pave the way towards a review of the causes of successes and failures and to identify the perspectives of ecological restoration in different ecosystem types. These are dealt with biome-by-biome and considered from the historical perspective of land use. The final section addresses problems of ecological restoration in a societal context - ecological restoration in meant to achieve sustainable, resilient and interconnected ecosystems and socioecological systems. This will result in newly emerging ecosystems. "--Jacket.