Updating ecological modeling within the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) : exploring innovative approaches and implementation strategies

<jats:p>The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) engages in the planning, de-sign, construction, monitoring, and adaptive management of aquatic eco-system restoration projects. Like many organizations, USACE uses ecological models to inform decisions regarding ecosystem restoration and management. Most ecological modeling to support ecosystem restoration is conducted using habitat and other index models. However, these approaches have changed little in decades, while the field of ecology has seen the rapid growth of new modeling techniques with an array of applications. More advanced ecological models have the potential to align more closely with aquatic ecosystem restoration project objectives, provide more accurate predictions, and improve the communication of restoration benefits. This overview of modern ecological modeling approaches highlights promising ways to increase the use of advanced ecological models to sup-port ecosystem restoration. We describe the characteristics, benefits, and constraints of five ecological modeling families—agent-based models, population models, community models, connectivity/network models, and machine learning methods—and their applicability to ecosystem restoration projects. We also outline important considerations for selecting ecological models for a given scenario. Finally, we highlight promising avenues for increasing the use of contemporary modeling approaches, including the value of conducting targeted case studies, in light of project planning constraints.</jats:p>