Indonesia declared an ambitious plan to restore its degraded and fire‐prone peatlands, which have been a source of significant greenhouse gas and haze. However, the progress has been slow and the ...plan cannot succeed without sustained social supports and political will. Although many previous studies argued for the need to see ecological restoration in socio‐economic contexts, empirical assessments have been lacking for how restoration is operationalized on the ground. We interviewed 47 key informants involved in four different projects in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, and assessed their definitions, goals, and practices of peatland restoration. Most of the actors we interviewed defined peatland restoration primarily in an ecological context following the global concept of ecological restoration. However, all four restoration projects were designed without determining reference and trajectory conditions. Their intermediate goals and practices were more focused on engaging local communities and developing sustainable livelihood options than improving the ecological conditions of peatlands. To be internally consistent, peatland restoration needs to recognize a social dimension in its process, as well as in its goal. Setting clear trajectory conditions is also important to clarify achievable goals and measurable intermediate outcomes. We propose the following definition of peatland restoration: a process of assisting the recovery of degraded peatland ecosystems to achieve the appropriate trajectories defined through multi‐stakeholder collaboration within social‐ecological contexts. We hope to generate healthy debates to further refine the definition that encompasses both social and ecological dimensions to generate broader support for sustaining and expanding peatland restoration projects in Indonesia.
•Mixed plantations effectively combined high wood yield and tree diversity.•Eucalyptus grew larger in mixtures with native species than in monocultures.•Native tree species grew less in mixtures with ...Eucalyptus.•The mixing effect was stronger for fast- and intermediate-growing native species.
Despite the high diversity of trees in the tropics, very few native species have been used in plantations. In a scenario of high international demand for nature conservation, ecological restoration and for the provision of forest products, mixed species forestry in the tropics emerges as a promising option. In this study, we examine three large experiments in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil that combine early Eucalyptus wood production with a high diversity (23–30 species) of native tree species. We tested the following hypotheses: (1) Eucalyptus growth and survival is higher in mixed plantations than in monocultures, while that of native species is lower when intercropped with Eucalyptus; (2) The diameter of target native trees is influenced by the size and by the identity of neighboring trees; (3) The negative effect of competition from Eucalyptus on native species is directly related to their growth rate. We compared mixtures of Eucalyptus and a high diversity of native tree species with Eucalyptus monocultures and with plots containing only native species, replacing Eucalyptus by ten native species. To test our hypotheses, we examined inventory data considering the stand- and the tree-levels. We calculated survival rate, diameter and height growth and basal area of whole stands and groups of species. We also used a neighborhood index analysis to separate the effect of total competition (i.e. stand density) and the influence of groups of species (intra- and inter-specific competition). The Eucalyptus trees in high diversity mixtures grew larger and yielded nearly 75% of the basal area produced by Eucalyptus monocultures even though this genus accounted for only 50% of seedlings in the mixtures. In the mixtures, Eucalyptus negatively affected the growth of native species proportionate to the native species’ growth rate. With some exceptions, the mixed plantations had no overall negative effect on tree survival or height growth. We conclude that mixtures of Eucalyptus and a high diversity of native tree species are feasible and represent a potential alternative for establishing multipurpose plantations, especially in the context of forest and landscape restoration.
We provide our five visions and contributions that the young tropical restoration science community can make for an impactful and beneficial UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Although native vegetation is a determinant of aquatic ecosystems' maintenance, forest restoration has been linked to decreases in water yields worldwide. Here, we clarify linkages between forest ...restoration and water services and identify gaps in the literature critical for evaluating the benefits of forest restoration on water yields. Also, we discuss possible strategies to improve forest restoration planning and implementation. We argue that the apparent disconnect between estimates in the literature and real‐world observation reflects the limitation of studies, methods, and approaches in capturing forest and water relationships' complex nature. Future research should focus on hydrologic parameters other than annual streamflow flow (such as infiltration, groundwater recharge, and flow regulation) and encompass broader spatial–temporal scales. More empirical studies are needed, especially in the tropics, as the forest–water dynamics in these areas are unique and poorly understood. Filling this gap is critical to improving the decision‐making process related to water management and governance.
Global change in its various expressions has impacted the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide, compromising the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and creating a predicament for ...the societies that benefit from them. Restoration ecology plays a key role in securing ecological integrity and societal well‐being, and hence represents a global priority. However, human perception seldom goes back to the beginning of significant ecosystem degradation, making ecosystem assessment and restoration practices difficult. Long‐term data, historical records, and paleoecological information can increase our understanding of ecological responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts and can directly contribute to the understanding and design of effective restoration practices. Here, examples from different ecosystems (drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests, coastal environments, and wetlands) brought together from around the world illustrate (1) how to develop appropriate restoration references under the current uncertain global change scenario; (2) how long‐term perspectives on drivers of change can help to identify critical ecological elements, thus contributing to defining restoration goals; and (3) how to incorporate information from the past as guidance for present interventions and landscape management. The building of community and the specificity of paleoecological and historical records of ecological change over time will be key in facilitating the translation of long‐term information into the living process of ecological restoration practice.
Restoration interventions require knowledge on the suitability of seed sources. Provenance delineation for ecological restoration of degraded environments has begun to incorporate genome‐wide ...information on adaptive variation, but this has only been completed on a small number of plant species. Rarely is provenance delineation using a genomics approach applied to species occurring across different habitats, and in the context of future climate scenarios, despite their potential importance for successful long‐term restoration. Here, we use neutral genetic data to investigate patterns of genetic differentiation and a landscape genomics approach to model putatively adaptive genetic variation under multiple climate scenarios for two species co‐occurring in a predominantly mesic environment, and two species co‐occurring in a semi‐arid environment. We then determine the genetic similarity of seed sourcing locations to hypothetical restoration sites, both under current and future climate scenarios. We found that the geographical extent of provenances and the amount of genetic change required to track the projected climatic conditions over time differed within the pairs of co‐occurring species, and between habitats. Additionally, future climate scenarios had differing effects on provenance patterns between the two landscapes indicating a differential response to changing climate between species from mesic and arid habitats. This implies that provenance guidelines can be both species and habitat dependent. We discuss how these results can be utilized to design seed sourcing strategies for successful restoration, and how these methods could be more broadly applied to delineate provenances of other species and locations.
Salvaged native topsoil is a scarce, highly valuable resource in post‐mining restoration, being the main source of organic matter and nutrients and a major repository of plant propagules and soil ...microbes. During the mining process, topsoil is often stockpiled, and factors such as stockpile depth, season of stripping, and storage time can adversely affect topsoil functionality. We aimed to determine if soil functionality differs between undisturbed native reference topsoils and stockpiled topsoils of various age and origin, and whether measures of soil microbial community composition, soil respiration, and plant growth provide comparable assessments of soil functionality. We investigated this using select biological assessments of undisturbed native reference topsoils and stockpiled topsoils collected from seven mine sites representing a range of climate, soil, commodity, and vegetation types across the major mining province of Western Australia. Biotic properties of stored topsoil were idiosyncratic and variable across mine sites, and results differed based on the biotic measure being assessed. Biomass was generally lower for plants grown in stockpiled topsoils than for plants grown in native reference topsoils across mine sites. However, no single biotic measure provided an accurate assessment of soil functionality as reflected in plant growth responses. Overall, stockpiling adversely affected soil functionality and further research is needed to improve topsoil management procedures that may be site‐ and biome‐specific.
Ecological restoration often focuses on short‐term intervention efforts with the goal of creating restored ecosystems that do not require continuous human maintenance. Here, we ask: Do short‐term ...restoration efforts result in self‐sustaining native assemblages, or do these restored ecosystems require long‐term management to prevent reinvasion of exotic species? We address this question using restored vernal pool wetlands in coastal California. Restoration efforts in vernal pool ecosystems are often hindered because many restored vernal pools exist within a grassland matrix that is highly invaded by exotic annual grasses and forbs. To test whether restored pools experienced reinvasion, we assessed plant species abundance and diversity at varying times after intensive weeding had ceased. The central bottom of pools, where inundation duration is the longest, showed stable or even increasing native cover and no trends in exotic abundance over time. However, exotic cover and richness increased in the upland edges of the pools, where drier conditions allow exotic grasses from the surrounding unrestored grassland to grow. Our findings indicate that edges of restored ecosystems are susceptible to invasion over time, but that this depends on abiotic and biotic conditions within the ecosystem, such as pool shape and landscape matrix, that can potentially be manipulated through initial planning (e.g., constructing circular pools) and long‐term management (e.g., annual weeding). Our findings highlight the importance of ongoing monitoring and adaptive management and support a paradigm shift away from short‐term interventions and toward viewing restoration as a longstanding relationship with the land that may require continuous human management.
Composites are increasing in popularity as restorative materials. This growing role indicates the necessity of studies on their clinical outcome. In this study, clinical studies published on the ...performance of posterior composite restorations were included except those of less than a 24‐month assessment period. Results of non‐vital, anterior or primary teeth and cervical single‐surface restorations were also excluded. Records about composite type, number of final recall restorations, failure/survival rate, assessment period and failure reasons were analysed for each decade. Overall survival/failure rates for studies in 1995–2005 were 89.41%/10.59% and for 2006–2016 were 86.87%/13.13%, respectively. In 1995–2005, the reasons for failure were secondary caries (29.47%) and composite fracture (28.84%) with low tooth fracture (3.45%) compared with reasons of failure in 2006–2016, which were secondary caries (25.68%), composite fracture (39.07%), and tooth fracture (23.76%). An increase in incidence of composite fracture, tooth fracture and need for endodontic treatment as failure reasons was noted in the latter decade in addition to a decrease in secondary caries, postoperative sensitivity, unsatisfactory marginal adaptation and wear. The overall rates of failure showed little difference, but the causes showed a notable change. This is believed to be a reflection of increased use of composites for larger restorations and possibly changes of material characteristics.
Widespread hydrologic alterations have simplified in‐stream habitats in rivers globally, driving population declines and extirpations of many native fishes. Here, we examine how rapid geomorphic ...change in a historically degraded desert river has influenced habitat diversification and ecosystem persistence. In 2010, a large reach of the degraded and simplified lower San Rafael River (SRR), Utah, was impacted by the formation of a valley plug and began to shift from a homogenous, single‐thread channel to a complex, multi‐threaded riverscape. We combined field measurements and drone‐collected imagery to document changes in fish habitat due to the valley plug. Our results demonstrate that in 2021, the affected reach was more diverse than any other stream reach along the SRR, containing 641% more diverse habitat (e.g., pools, riffles, and backwaters) than what was measured in 2015. The plug reach also retained water for periods beyond what was expected during seasonal drying, with the total extent of inundation within the riverscape increasing by over 2800%. Since the formation of the valley plug, riparian habitat has increased by 230% and channel networks have expanded to more than 50 distinct channels throughout the zone of influence. Our results provide evidence of successful self‐restoration in a formerly highly degraded reach of desert river, and encourage new methods of desert river restoration. We aim to inform the use of large‐scale, disruptive restoration actions like intentional channel occlusions, with the goal of mitigating the impacts of simplification and increasing habitat persistence in the face of exacerbated aridity in the desert Southwest.
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