Restorative work

Dynamic, complex, and often painstakingly long-term, Stantec’s ecosystem restoration initiative seeks to enhance human, ecological, and infrastructure resilience through natured-based solutions. The company takes a holistic and results-oriented approach aimed at the long game and informed by a passionate, multidisciplinary team dedicated to re-establishing ecological function to damaged or degraded environments that ultimately benefit habitats, people, and future generations.

Three projects exemplify this approach. They are the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Highland Park, Illinois; Chicago Park District in Chicago; and ComEd Pollinator Habitat Restoration in various locations in the Midwest. All three projects represent the complexity, nuance, and time often required in the restoration, rehabilitation, and ongoing adaptive management strategies dedicated to self-sustaining ecosystems.

However, all three projects were informed by goals like the protection and stewardship of remaining high-quality natural communities, such as the last vestiges of prairies, and the strategic restoration of natural communities from scratch in areas where they are not present due to historic land use.