One of the best ways to increase the resilience of an ecosystem is to increase the diversity of organisms. This is because every species (and individual) responds differently to disturbances. A community with low diversity risks being wiped out by a single disturbance event, whereas higher species diversity gives a greater chance that some individuals will survive and allow the rest of the community to recover. Where bushland has experience prolonged or severe disturbances, species diversity tends to be low. In such cases it can be beneficial to boost species diversity by importing appropriate plants from nearby areas.
Species Enrichment is not appropriate for all situations. On the spectrum of restoration techniques, Species Enrichment sits at the more disturbed end of Assisted Regeneration, but before Reconstruction is required. Resilient bushland with undisturbed soils generally contain a diverse range of species either as growing plants, or as dormant seeds in the soil and do not require plantings.
Situations where Species Enrichment can be useful are:
There are several important points to consider when selecting plant material for species enrichment. The main ones are: