"Ecological restoration, which is discussed in your textbook, has a critical role in protecting and understanding the Earth's environments. Unfortunately, even if personnel and financial resources are available, many sites are too damaged to be effectively restored. In such cases, alternatives to restoration must be pursued, including: rehabilitation, remediation, replacement, or the creation of artificial ecosystems.
Some individuals worry that large-scale ecological restoration could mislead the public into believing that any amount of environmental damage can be undone. Ultimately, a massive and expensive restoration program could be offset by weakened regulations and increased environmental damage in other areas. Furthermore, alternatives to ecological restoration may be able to repair more sites at less cost.
Should the government not only preserve but restore ecosystems that we have degraded the biodiversity even though this will be quite costly?