The Society for Ecological Restoration (SER)

Community-based Restoration: SER is partnering with the US Bureau of Land Management, the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Montana), and Oregon State University to implement a multi- year demonstration project regarding the importance of traditional ecological knowledge in ecological restoration. This project works to implement the US- BLM's Seeds of Success Program. It utilizes a Community Fellows Program to train local and at-risk youth in botanical and traditional practices and to introduce them to the potential for a career in the natural sciences. The majority of people employed in the project are Native Americans, and the focus of the project is native plant documentation and native seed collection for future grassland and bison restoration programs. 2022 was the final full year of the project under SER's management, with the majority of tasks implemented by Oregon State University.

Membership: With more than 4,000 members in more than 100 countries, SER's global network represents the world's foremost source of scientific and practical expertise on the repair of degraded ecosystems. SER members include scientists, engineers, planners program managers, policy makers, landscape architects, artists, economists, volunteers, community advocates, and others. SER members work in all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and represent governmental and nongovernmental organizations, private industry, consultancies, indigenous communities, students and more. Through this collective expertise, SER works to advance the field of ecological restoration by facilitating knowledge development and sharing among practitioners, researchers, and decision-makers. SER helps members and non- members alike share knowledge through trainings and workshops, conferences, publications, on-the-ground demonstration projects, virtual and in-person networking events, an online restoration resource center, and the world's only Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program.

Policy: SER contributes significantly to national and international policy actions through collaborations with such bodies as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Partnership on Forest and Landscape Restoration, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The SER/IUCN biennial global fora on restoration, for example, are helping define and guide high quality restoration across the world. SER members and board members serve on a variety of international advisory committees that also support the implementation and monitoring of ecological restoration. Through SER's Science and Policy Committee, SER chapters and global conferences, SER continues to bring increased attention to the importance of ecological restoration as a tool for addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges - e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss, water security, rural poverty - and continues to guide these bodies in incorporating restoration as a specific component within their activities and strategic plans.

Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program: SER's Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) program, launched in 2017, credentials restoration practitioners and practitioners in training who meet core knowledge and practice requirements. While actual projects are not audited on the ground, applicants are required to submit several sample projects which are reviewed for consistency with SER's International Principles and Standards, and which help certification reviewers assess if the applicants are likely to uphold and

Publications: Since 1993 SER has published Restoration Ecology, the premier global journal for publishing research in this growing and important field. Restoration Ecology includes a bi-annual thematic series on restoration in arid lands, as well as a joint series with British Ecological Society on articles specifically focused on the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration SER also publishes key guidance documents, such as its International Principles and

Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration which are considered the global guide for designing, implementing, and monitoring restoration projects. ALL Remaining: The Society for Ecological Restoration co-sponsors conferences, workshops, and other knowledge-sharing and knowledge-development events with its chapters and other like-minded NPOs that provide Restorationists with cutting-edge

research, information, and tools to improve ecological restoration practices