Restoration ecology is the scientific study of repairing degraded, damaged or destroyed ecosystems through human intervention. It is a young discipline and still developing the knowledge to create functioning ecosystems. Restoration is inherently uncertain but despite these uncertainties, ecological restoration is a rapidly growing field that represents a fundamental change in our relationship to the natural world. Restoration draws on several concepts from landscape ecology, and the two disciplines are inextricably linked. For example, restored areas are often relatively small and isolated, which makes them especially sensitive to problems associated with habitat fragmentation, e.g. negative edge effects, small population sizes. Further, restoration activities often seek to improve connectivity among habitat patches in fragmented landscapes by creating or restoring linkages, e.g. corridors or stepping stones.