Part I: Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration 1. Introduction 2. Kelp-urchin-otter paradigm - direct and indirect effects of sea otter presence 3. Seagrass and estuary community restoration and sea otter interactions 4. Soft sediment community restoration and the role of sea otters 5. Human perspectives of coastal ecosystems 6. Linkages between nearshore and coastal terrestrial ecosystems 7. Coastal marine ecosystem functioning - gains and losses of the fur trade Part II: Species Conservation 8. The history of sea otter conservation 9. Why space is so important - case studies of Glacier Bay, Southeast Alaska, and the Aleutian chain 10. Nearshore study 11. New genetics research 12. Sea otters and climate change 13. Future reintroductions and restoring nearshore ecosystems