Abstract: A wealth of valuable wetland research has been published over the years concerning wetland function. One difficulty has been using that information in the context of the time and resource constraints of mandatory wetland mitigation or voluntary wetland restoration projects. In an effort to highlight some suggestions to marry wetland research with practical restoration applications, two questions that recur often will be introduced:
1. Does wetland function follow from structure?
2. What are the most appropriate templates to use when designing a wetland restoration project?
Drawing on the literature, and progress in developing the Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach (Classification, Use of Reference and Functional Indices), some practical ways of applying “lessons learned” in the design of a wetland restoration plan will be suggested.