Final answer:
Ecological restoration in 1992 involved restoring ecosystems to their original condition, which was a crucial part of the global environmental policy discussed at the Earth Summit. Restoration aims to increase biodiversity, resilience, and sometimes reintroduce native species. The 1990s saw a rise in the scientific discipline of restoration ecology, guiding global conservation efforts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The definition of ecological restoration in 1992 primarily revolved around the practice of restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment to their original condition. The fundamental goal of restoration efforts is to return the ecosystem to its former state, thereby enhancing biodiversity, increasing ecological resilience, and sometimes reintroducing native species. Restoration efforts can vary substantially in scope and methodology, ranging from localized projects to restore specific habitats to ambitious, large-scale attempts like rewilding, which seeks to reconnect habitats over large geographic areas to counteract fragmentation.
In the 1990s, significant movements in environmental policy, such as the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, brought together nations to discuss global sustainability issues, including the urgent need for ecological restoration. This period also saw a surge in the scientific field of restoration ecology, with scholars emphasizing the importance of restoring ecosystems not only for conservation purposes but also to maintain and recover essential ecological functions. Restoration ecology became an increasingly important discipline, guiding practical conservation efforts and informing policy on a global scale.