The mission of SER International is "to promote ecological restoration as a means of sustaining the diversity of life on Earth and reestablishing an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture."

The Society for Ecological Restoration International Primer on Ecological Restoration defines ecological restoration as “the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.”

SER-UW exists to further the goals of SER international while providing students the opportunity to join a community of scholars, practitioners, and volunteers from across academic disciplines.