We wrote this book for many reasons. First, we wanted to share our excitement about some of the wild places on this planet. The wilds we consider are places where new land is being formed, whether by dramatic natural forces (volcanoes, glaciers, landslides) or by the steady, unobtrusive forces of wind and water (dunes, beaches, soil erosion). We are equally intrigued by successional processes following abandonment of human artifacts (pavement, mines, waste dumps). Our careers started with our entrancement about natural disasters and how natural processes or regeneration follow. The next logical step was to extend our studies to disturbances of human origin, applying the same curiosity and scientific methodology. Now we summarize what we have learned and what we believe still needs study.

Our second reason for writing this book was because we feel the urgency of understanding the natural and human-assisted processes involved in ecosystem rehabilitation. With the spiraling challenges of over-population and resource depletion, including a startling loss in arable land, rehabilitation of severely damaged terrestrial and aquatic systems is just as essential as recycling of waste products into useful resources. We maintain that the best approach to rehabilitation is the merger of science and management. This book aims to forge links between successional theory and potential applications of that knowledge. Communication between scientists and land managers, theorists and practitioners of rehabilitation must improve. Theory can be helpful, but hands-on practical experience, particularly when combined with appropriate field experiments, is essential to addressing local problems.