Principles and Progression of Ecological Restoration

Lessons_of_the_Loess_Plateau

The Ojibwe/ Lakota cultural practice of placation and reciprocity ensure that the harvesting of animals and their spirits was understood as a loss to nature. Permission was asked prior to the hunt, placation. Reciprocity for the taking of life was honored by placing water or food in the animals mouth.        In Lakota: anug (ah-nue-gh) reciprocal (mutual feelings) are respected in a belief system that all things are related in time and spirit.

Inuit would give harvested seals a drink of fresh water. 
"The Inuit believed in animism: all living and non-living things had a spirit. ... When a spirit died, it continued living in a different world- the spirit world. ... After killing a seal, melted snow had to be dripped into its mouth to quench the spirit's thirst.” Ref: firstpeoplesofcanada.com

Rituals and ceremonies were created to teach the respect and honor for the hostile yet crucial environment they lived in. I believe this solemn duty of respect and compensation is due our natural environment as in so doing we ensure the survival of the entire human community.
Messages of this are created by the manifestation, action, and appearance of regenerative practices. If we appear to be extracting opulence and resources, we will send a message counter to our intention.  Our presence should not eclipse our intention. Let us be modest and intentional.

Building Natural Capital. Increasing Diversity, Biomass, and Organic Material.
By this we raise the carrying capacity and resilience of the ecology to disturbance; man-made or natural.
With higher resilience an ecological system buffers extremes, stores nutrients/carbon, and delivers ecosystem services and functions.
The value is in the long term deliverables of natural systems to human communities in close proximity and all the systems "downstream".

To rebuild Natural Capital (resources which enable the production of more resources), we need a capital investment, a source of materials, and skill.
Ecosystem or Natural Capital are the resources that are needed for humans to survive, and be economically active. All of which is provided by the ecosystem. (Wiki)
Ecosystem Assets are those parts of the natural system that are not intended to be harvested, but create value in the ability of the system to deliver Ecosystem Functions.

Luckily for us with time the natural capital we create will return increased capital and ecosystem assets. We just need to return the land the that threshold of critical mass to self repair.