Available evidence suggests that research in terrestrial
restoration ecology has been dominated by the engineering
and botanical sciences. Because restoration science is
a relatively young discipline in ecology, the theoretical
framework for this discipline is under development and
new theoretical offerings appear regularly in the literature.
In reviewing this literature, we observed an absence
of in-depth discussion of how soils, and in particular the
ecology of soils, can be integrated into the developing theory
of restoration science. These observations prompted
us to assess the current role of soil ecological knowledge
in restoration research and restoration practice. Although
soils are universally regarded as critical to restoration success,
and much research has included manipulations of soil
variables, we found that better integration of soil ecological
principles could still contribute much to the practice of
ecosystem restoration. Here we offer four potential points
of departure for increased dialog between restoration
ecologists and soil ecologists. We hope to encourage the
view that soil is a complex, heterogeneous, and vital entity
and that adoption of this point of view can positively
affect restoration efforts worldwide.