•The Atlantic Forest is the biome with the highest number of papers on ecological restoration.•Pantanal, Pampa and Caatinga are the least studied in terms of ecological restoration.•In all biomes, ...most of the studies are related to monitoring.•The number of species used in restored areas is limited.•It is necessary to include different life forms, restoration techniques and studies using reference areas to measure success.
The Bonn challenge aims at the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded ladscapes by 2030. In Brazil, the restoration goal for 2030 is 12 million hectares. Despite the great demand for ecological restoration across the whole of Brazil, there have been no analyses of the studies carried out in different biomes. In addition, conservation efforts must cover all biomes, so that different regions can take advantage of the many benefits of restoration. Our aim was to identify advances and gaps in current restoration knowledge in order to guide future efforts in Brazil. Our bibliometric survey in the Web of Science using 23 keywords related to restoration generated a total of 530 papers, of which 291 were included in the analysis. The papers were published in 121 scientific journals between 1988 and 2018, with the largest number of papers in 2016. The Atlantic Forest was the biome with the highest number of studies, as it is one of the most threatened tropical forest regions in the world and maintains the largest number of research institutions and receives the highest level of funding support in the country. Regarding the types of studies, temporal monitoring was more frequent in the Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pampa, while the monitoring at one point in time was more frequent in the Atlantic Forest. From the studies examined, 31% used a reference area for comparing restoration success. The most studied organisms were plants (81%), and among them, trees were the most frequent, followed by fungi, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles. The pre-restoration degradation differed among biomes, with deforestation for logging the most cited in the Amazon, agriculture, and livestock in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, logging and cattle ranching in Caatinga, and livestock in the Pampa and Pantanal. In general, active/assisted natural succession was the most frequent restoration process: planting seedlings more readily occurred in the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Caatinga, whereas natural regeneration in the Cerrado and Pantanal and sowing in Pampa. The studies varied among the age of restoration (>1 to 67 years for active restoration and >1 to 120 years for passive/unassisted natural succession), and the number of species planted (1 to 121 species). We identified an important regional knowledge gap for the Pantanal, Caatinga, and Pampa, as well as the need to include reference areas, evaluate different restoration techniques (besides planting seedlings), and the inclusion of other taxa and life forms in biodiversity studies apart from trees. We also identified the need to expand research to assess landscape metrics, prioritization, legislation, and public policies.
The global tree restoration potential Bastin, Jean-Francois; Finegold, Yelena; Garcia, Claude ...
Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science),
07/2019, Volume:
365, Issue:
6448
Journal Article, Web Resource
Peer reviewed
Open access
The restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. We mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares of canopy cover ...could exist under the current climate. Excluding existing trees and agricultural and urban areas, we found that there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests. This highlights global tree restoration as our most effective climate change solution to date. However, climate change will alter this potential tree coverage. We estimate that if we cannot deviate from the current trajectory, the global potential canopy cover may shrink by ~223 million hectares by 2050, with the vast majority of losses occurring in the tropics. Our results highlight the opportunity of climate change mitigation through global tree restoration but also the urgent need for action.
Abstract Due to their unique ecological functions, small and micro wetlands have received more extensive attention and recognition from the international community, and have become an important part ...of China’s ecological civilization construction. In this paper, the concept, characteristics and classification of small and micro wetlands are described, and the ecological functions and services of small and micro wetlands are discussed. On this basis, the principles of ecological restoration of small and micro wetlands were analyzed, and suggestions for the protection and management of small and micro wetlands were put forward, in order to provide reference for the protection and restoration of small and micro wetlands in China.
The United Nations heralded 2021–2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. A socioecological approach to restoration has been proposed that honors the diversity in ecological landscapes and ...their respective cultures and peoples with the goal of repairing degraded ecosystems. Indigenous peoples are intimately interconnected with landscapes, which are under mounting pressure from anthropogenic global environmental change. Article 31 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states the rights of Indigenous peoples to maintain, protect, and control their culture and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); however, these rights have not always been acknowledged. We are concerned that large global restoration goals will continue to promote TEK extraction that further perpetuates inequities and discrimination of Indigenous peoples. If the restoration sector wishes to partner with Indigenous communities leading TEK efforts, it needs to understand established international agreements and proactively protect intellectual property and data sovereignty rights. To illustrate a theme of ethical engagement, we present risks to TEK integrity while highlighting engagement that has successfully promoted Indigenous leadership and self‐determination. We propose that a decade of responsible and respectful restoration will be achieved only with shared principles and an ethical code of conduct for TEK partnerships. We argue that deep listening with Indigenous peoples and engagement with humility and respect needs to be the starting point. Finally, we propose an Indigenous‐led workshop to re‐imagine and re‐develop equitable ways forward for TEK partnerships in restoration, with explicit considerations for the rights, livelihoods, and leadership of Indigenous peoples.
Evaluation of restoration activities is indispensable to assess the extent to which targets have been reached. Usually, the main goal of ecological restoration is to restore biodiversity and ...ecosystem functioning, but validation is often based on a single indicator, which may or may not cope with whole‐ecosystem dynamics. Network analyses are, however, powerful tools, allowing to examine both the recovery of various biotic and abiotic properties and the integrated response at community and ecosystem level.
We used restoration sites where topsoil was removed from former intensively managed grassland and seeds were added. These sites were between 3 and 32 years old. We assessed how plants, soil biota, soil properties and correlation‐based interactions between biotic communities and their abiotic environment developed over time and compared the results with (i) intensively managed (not restored), and (ii) well‐preserved targeted semi‐natural grasslands.
Plant, nematode, fungal and prokaryotic diversity and community structures of the restored grasslands revealed clear successional patterns and followed similar trajectories towards targeted semi‐natural grasslands. All biotic communities reached targeted diversity levels no later than 18 years post‐restoration.
Ecological networks of intensively managed and short‐term (~4 years) restored grasslands were less tightly connected compared to those found in mid‐ and long‐term (~18–30 years) restored and target grasslands. Restoration specifically enhanced interactions among biotic communities, but reduced interactions between biotic communities and their abiotic environment as well as interactions among abiotic properties in the short‐ and mid‐term.
Synthesis and applications: Overall, our study demonstrated that topsoil removal and seed addition were successful in restoring diverse, tightly coupled and well‐connected biotic communities above‐ and below‐ground similar to those found in the semi‐natural grasslands that were restoration targets. Network analyses proved to be powerful in examining the long‐term re‐establishment of functionally connected biotic communities in restored ecosystems. Thus, we provide an approach to holistically assess restoration activities by notably considering the complexity of ecosystems, much in contrast to most traditional approaches.
Overall, our study demonstrated that topsoil removal and seed addition were successful in restoring diverse, tightly coupled and well‐connected biotic communities above‐ and below‐ground similar to those found in the semi‐natural grasslands that were restoration targets. Network analyses proved to be powerful in examining the long‐term re‐establishment of functionally connected biotic communities in restored ecosystems. Thus, we provide an approach to holistically assess restoration activities by notably considering the complexity of ecosystems, much in contrast to most traditional approaches.
Mixed tree plantings and natural regeneration are the main restoration approaches for recovering tropical forests worldwide. Despite substantial differences in implementation costs between these ...methods, little is known regarding how they differ in terms of ecological outcomes, which is key information for guiding decision making and cost-effective restoration planning. Here, we compared the early ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and tree plantations for restoring the Brazilian Atlantic Forest in agricultural landscapes. We assessed and compared vegetation structure and composition in young (7–20 yr old) mixed tree plantings (PL), second-growth tropical forests established on former pastures (SGp), on former Eucalyptus spp. plantations (SGe), and in old-growth reference forests (Ref). We sampled trees with diameter a t breast height (DBH) 1–5 cm (saplings) and trees at DBH > 5 cm (trees) in a total of 32 20 × 45 m plots established in these landscapes. Overall, the ecological outcomes of natural regeneration and restoration plantations were markedly different. SGe forests showed higher abundance of large (DBH > 20 cm) nonnative species, o f which 98% were resprouting Eucalyptus trees, th an SGp and PL, and higher total aboveground biomass; however, aboveground biomass of native species was higher in PL than in SGe. PL forests had lower abundance of native saplings and lianas than both naturally established second-growth forests, and lower proportion of animal dispersed saplings than SGe, probably due to higher isolation from native forest remnants. Rarefied species richness of trees was lower in SGp, intermediate in SGe and Ref and higher in PL, whereas rarefied species richness of saplings was higher in SG than in Ref. Species composition differed considerably among regeneration types. Although these forests are inevitably bound to specific landscape contexts and may present varying outcomes as they develop through longer time frames, the ecological particularities of forests established through different restoration approaches indicate that naturally established forests may not show similar outcomes to mixed tree plantings. The results of this study underscore the importance that restoration decisions need to be based on more robust expectations of outcomes that allow for a better analysis of the cost-effectiveness of different restoration approaches before scaling-up forest restoration in the tropics.
Natural disasters can cause large blackouts. Research into natural disaster impacts on electric power systems is emerging to understand the causes of the blackouts, explore ways to prepare and harden ...the grid, and increase the resilience of the power grid under such events. At the same time, new technologies such as smart grid, micro grid, and wide area monitoring applications could increase situational awareness as well as enable faster restoration of the system. This paper aims to consolidate and review the progress of the research field towards methods and tools of forecasting natural disaster related power system disturbances, hardening and pre-storm operations, and restoration models. Challenges and future research opportunities are also presented in the paper.
Ecosystem restoration job creation potential in Brazil Brancalion, Pedro H. S.; Siqueira, Ludmila Pugliese; Amazonas, Nino T. ...
People and nature (Hoboken, N.J.),
December 2022, 2022-12-00, 20221201, 2022-12-01, Volume:
4, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The central motivation to restore ecosystems at a planetary scale has been to reverse degradation and provide multiple environmental benefits, but key global players like governments may be more ...interested in social outcomes from undertaking restoration, such as job creation. Assessing the job opportunities stemming from ongoing restoration programmes can leverage additional investments for their implementation and support their long‐term maintenance.
Here, we aimed to understand and quantify current and potential ecosystem restoration jobs in Brazil, based on a widely distributed online survey performed in 2020 and led by the main restoration networks in the country. We explored the structure, job distribution and outputs of the national restoration supply chain.
At the beginning of 2020, 4713 temporary and 3510 permanent jobs were created, nearly 60% of which were generated by organizations specialized in restoration, mainly from the non‐profit (48%) and private (37%) sectors.
Restoration jobs were concentrated in organizations working in one (58%) or two (28%) biomes, and the vast majority were in the Atlantic Forest (85%). Similarly, most restoration jobs were concentrated in the southeast region (61%), with one‐third in the state of São Paulo. This geographical distribution was more strongly associated with the states' GDP than with the legal deficit of native vegetation area.
Nearly 20% of the restoration jobs were terminated during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020.
We estimate that restoration activities can generate 0.42 jobs per hectare undergoing restoration, which could potentially create 1.0–2.5 million direct jobs through the implementation of Brazil's target of restoring 12 million hectares.
We conclude by reinforcing the value of ecosystem restoration in promoting economic development and job creation, which can be crucial to promote countries' effective engagement in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. We also highlight the critical role of grassroots organizations to maximize restoration opportunities for socioeconomic development during the post‐pandemic economic recovery.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Forest restoration is being scaled up globally to deliver critical ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits; however, there is a lack of rigorous comparison of cobenefit delivery across different ...restoration approaches. Through global synthesis, we used 25,950 matched data pairs from 264 studies in 53 countries to assess how delivery of climate, soil, water, and wood production services, in addition to biodiversity, compares across a range of tree plantations and native forests. Benefits of aboveground carbon storage, water provisioning, and especially soil erosion control and biodiversity are better delivered by native forests, with compositionally simpler, younger plantations in drier regions performing particularly poorly. However, plantations exhibit an advantage in wood production. These results underscore important trade-offs among environmental and production goals that policy-makers must navigate in meeting forest restoration commitments.
New global initiatives to restore forest landscapes present an unparalleled opportunity to reverse deforestation and forest degradation. Participatory monitoring could play a crucial role in ...providing accountability, generating local buy in, and catalyzing learning in monitoring systems that need scalability and adaptability to a range of local sites. We synthesized current knowledge from literature searches and interviews to provide lessons for the development of a scalable, multisite participatory monitoring system. Studies show that local people can collect accurate data on forest change, drivers of change, threats to reforestation, and biophysical and socioeconomic impacts that remote sensing cannot. They can do this at one-third the cost of professionals. Successful participatory monitoring systems collect information on a few simple indicators, respond to local priorities, provide appropriate incentives for participation, and catalyze learning and decision making based on frequent analyses and multilevel interactions with other stakeholders. Participatory monitoring couldprovide a framework for linking global, national, and local needs, aspirations, and capacities for forest restoration. Las nuevas iniciativas mundiales para restaurar lospaisajes boscosospresentan una oportunidad incomparable para revertir la deforestación y la degradación de los bosques. El monitoreo participativo podría jugar un papel muy importante alproporcionar rendición de cuentas, generar compras locales alpor mayor, y catalizar el aprendizaje en el monitoreo de sistemas que necesiten adaptabilidad a una gama de sitios locales. Sintetizamos el conocimiento actual a partir de búsquedas en la literatura y entrevistas para proporcionar lecciones para el desarrollo de un sistema de monitoreo participativo y adaptable. Los estudios mostraron que la gente local puede recolectar datos precisos sobre el cambio en el bosque, conductores del cambio, amenazas para la reforestación, e impactos biofísicosy socioeconómicos que la telemetría no puede detectar. Esto se puede hacer a un tercio del costo de los profesionales. Los sistemas exitosos de monitoreo participativo recolectan información con unos cuantos indicadores simples, responden a las prioridades locales, proporcionan incentivos apropiados para la participación, catalizan el aprendizaje y la toma de decisiones basada en análisis frecuentes e interacciones en múltiples niveles con otros accionistas. El monitoreo participativo podría proporcionar un marco de trabajo para conectar las necesidades, aspiraciones y capacidades locales, nacionales y globales para la restauración de los bosques. 为恢复森林景观开展的新ー轮全球行动是逆转森林采伐和森林退化空前的机会。参与性监控在提供责任 制、创造当地市场，以及促进需要扩展性且能适应当地研究位点的监控系统中的学习有重要作用。我们从文献 捜索和访谈中梳理了现有的知识，为可扩展的多位点参与性监控系统的发展提供了经验指导。研究表明，当地人 可以收集森林变化、变化的驱动力、再造林所受威胁和生物物理及社会经济影响因素的精确数据，而这些数据 是遥感不能获得的。由他们完成这些数据收集所需开支是专家的三分之一。ー个成功的参与性监控系统可以收 集一些简单指标的数据，对当地保护优先地做出响应，为参与者提供恰当的激励机制，并促进在頻繁分析和与其 他利益相关者多水平互动的基础上的学习和决策。参与性监控可以作为ー个框架，来連接全球、国家和当地对 森林恢复的需求、愿望和能力。
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