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Mutillod C, Buisson É, Mahy G, Jaunatre R, Bullock JM, Tatin L, Dutoit T. Ecological restoration and rewilding: two approaches with complementary goals? Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:820-836. [PMID: 38346335 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) and address the urgent need to protect and restore ecosystems and their ecological functions at large scales, rewilding has been brought into the limelight. Interest in this discipline is thus increasing, with a large number of conceptual scientific papers published in recent years. Increasing enthusiasm has led to discussions and debates in the scientific community about the differences between ecological restoration and rewilding. The main goal of this review is to compare and clarify the position of each field. Our results show that despite some differences (e.g. top-down versus bottom-up and functional versus taxonomic approaches) and notably with distinct goals - recovery of a defined historically determined target ecosystem versus recovery of natural processes with often no target endpoint - ecological restoration and rewilding have a common scope: the recovery of ecosystems following anthropogenic degradation. The goals of ecological restoration and rewilding have expanded with the progress of each field. However, it is unclear whether there is a paradigm shift with ecological restoration moving towards rewilding or vice versa. We underline the complementarity in time and in space of ecological restoration and rewilding. To conclude, we argue that reconciliation of these two fields of nature conservation to ensure complementarity could create a synergy to achieve their common scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Mutillod
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Élise Buisson
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Gregory Mahy
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
- Université de Liège, Biodiversité et Paysage, 27 Avenue Maréchal Juin, Gembloux, 5030, Belgique
| | - Renaud Jaunatre
- Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, UR LESSEM, St-Martin-d'Hères, F-38402, France
| | - James M Bullock
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, OX10 8BB, Wallingford, UK
| | - Laurent Tatin
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
| | - Thierry Dutoit
- Avignon Université, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Ecologie IMBE, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, site Agroparc BP 61207, Avignon Cedex 09, 84911, France
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Loss of grazing by large mammalian herbivores can destabilize the soil carbon pool. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211317119. [PMID: 36252005 PMCID: PMC9618051 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211317119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Grazing by mammalian herbivores can be a climate mitigation strategy as it influences the size and stability of a large soil carbon (soil-C) pool (more than 500 Pg C in the world's grasslands, steppes, and savannas). With continuing declines in the numbers of large mammalian herbivores, the resultant loss in grazer functions can be consequential for this soil-C pool and ultimately for the global carbon cycle. While herbivore effects on the size of the soil-C pool and the conditions under which they lead to gain or loss in soil-C are becoming increasingly clear, their effect on the equally important aspect of stability of soil-C remains unknown. We used a replicated long-term field experiment in the Trans-Himalayan grazing ecosystem to evaluate the consequences of herbivore exclusion on interannual fluctuations in soil-C (2006 to 2021). Interannual fluctuations in soil-C and soil-N were 30 to 40% higher after herbivore exclusion than under grazing. Structural equation modeling suggested that grazing appears to mediate the stabilizing versus destabilizing influences of nitrogen (N) on soil-C. This may explain why N addition stimulates soil-C loss in the absence of herbivores around the world. Herbivore loss, and the consequent decline in grazer functions, can therefore undermine the stability of soil-C. Soil-C is not inert but a very dynamic pool. It can provide nature-based climate solutions by conserving and restoring a functional role of large mammalian herbivores that extends to the stoichiometric coupling between soil-C and soil-N.
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Shin Y, Midgley GF, Archer ERM, Arneth A, Barnes DKA, Chan L, Hashimoto S, Hoegh‐Guldberg O, Insarov G, Leadley P, Levin LA, Ngo HT, Pandit R, Pires APF, Pörtner H, Rogers AD, Scholes RJ, Settele J, Smith P. Actions to halt biodiversity loss generally benefit the climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:2846-2874. [PMID: 35098619 PMCID: PMC9303674 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The two most urgent and interlinked environmental challenges humanity faces are climate change and biodiversity loss. We are entering a pivotal decade for both the international biodiversity and climate change agendas with the sharpening of ambitious strategies and targets by the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Within their respective Conventions, the biodiversity and climate interlinked challenges have largely been addressed separately. There is evidence that conservation actions that halt, slow or reverse biodiversity loss can simultaneously slow anthropogenic mediated climate change significantly. This review highlights conservation actions which have the largest potential for mitigation of climate change. We note that conservation actions have mainly synergistic benefits and few antagonistic trade-offs with climate change mitigation. Specifically, we identify direct co-benefits in 14 out of the 21 action targets of the draft post-2020 global biodiversity framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, notwithstanding the many indirect links that can also support both biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation. These relationships are context and scale-dependent; therefore, we showcase examples of local biodiversity conservation actions that can be incentivized, guided and prioritized by global objectives and targets. The close interlinkages between biodiversity, climate change mitigation, other nature's contributions to people and good quality of life are seldom as integrated as they should be in management and policy. This review aims to re-emphasize the vital relationships between biodiversity conservation actions and climate change mitigation in a timely manner, in support to major Conferences of Parties that are about to negotiate strategic frameworks and international goals for the decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guy F. Midgley
- School for Climate Studies, Department of Botany and ZoologyStellenbosch UniversityStellenboschSouth Africa
| | - Emma R. M. Archer
- Department of GeographyGeo‐Informatics and MeteorologyUniversity of PretoriaHatfield, PretoriaSouth Africa
| | - Almut Arneth
- Atmospheric Environmental ResearchKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)Garmisch‐PartenkirchenGermany
| | | | - Lena Chan
- International Biodiversity Conservation DivisionNational Parks BoardSingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Ove Hoegh‐Guldberg
- School of Biological Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef StudiesThe University of QueenslandBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Gregory Insarov
- Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy for SciencesMoscowRussia
| | - Paul Leadley
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTechOrsayFrance
| | - Lisa A. Levin
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and Integrative Oceanography DivisionScripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of CaliforniaSan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Hien T. Ngo
- Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsRomeItaly
- Intergovernmental Science‐Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)BonnGermany
| | - Ram Pandit
- Centre for Environmental Economics and PolicyUWA School of Agriculture and EnvironmentThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- Global Center for Food, Land and Water ResourcesResearch Faculty of AgricultureHokkaido UniversitySapporoHokkaidoJapan
| | - Aliny P. F. Pires
- Department of Ecology – IBRAGRio de Janeiro State University (UERJ)Rio de JaneiroBrazil
| | - Hans‐Otto Pörtner
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine ResearchBremerhavenGermany
| | | | - Robert J. Scholes
- Global Change InstituteUniversity of the WitwatersrandJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Josef Settele
- Department of Conservation Biology and Social‐Ecological SystemsHelmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZHalleGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Pete Smith
- Institute of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of AberdeenAberdeenUK
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Hasselerharm CD, Yanco E, McManus JS, Smuts BH, Ramp D. Wildlife-friendly farming recouples grazing regimes to stimulate recovery in semi-arid rangelands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 788:147602. [PMID: 34029808 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
While rangeland ecosystems are globally important for livestock production, they also support diverse wildlife assemblages and are crucial for biodiversity conservation. As rangelands around the world have become increasingly degraded and fragmented, rethinking farming practice in these landscapes is vital for achieving conservation goals, rangeland recovery, and food security. An example is reinstating livestock shepherding, which aims to recouple grazing regimes to vegetation conditioned to semi-arid climates and improve productivity by reducing overgrazing and rewiring past ecological functions. Tracking the large-scale ecosystem responses to shifts in land management in such sparsely vegetated environments have so far proven elusive. Therefore, our goal was to develop a remote tracking method capable of detecting vegetation changes and environmental responses on rangeland farms engaging in contrasting farming practices in South Africa: wildlife friendly farming (WFF) implementing livestock shepherding with wildlife protection, or rotational grazing livestock farming with wildlife removal. To do so, we ground-truthed Sentinel-2 satellite imagery using drone imagery and machine learning methods to trace historical vegetation change on four farms over a four-year period. First, we successfully classified land cover maps cover using drone footage and modelled vegetation cover using satellite vegetation indices, achieving 93.4% accuracy (к = 0.901) and an r-squared of 0.862 (RMSE = 0.058) respectively. We then used this model to compare the WFF farm to three neighbouring rotational grazing farms, finding that satellite-derived vegetation productivity was greater and responded more strongly to rainfall events on the WFF farm. Furthermore, vegetation cover and grass cover, patch size, and aggregation were greater on the WFF farm when classified using drone data. Overall, we found that remotely assessing regional environmental benefits from contrasting farming practices in rangeland ecosystems could aid further adoption of wildlife-friendly practices and help to assess the generality of this case study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris D Hasselerharm
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
| | - Esty Yanco
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
| | - Jeannine S McManus
- Research Department, Landmark Foundation, Riversdale, South Africa; Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
| | - Bool H Smuts
- Research Department, Landmark Foundation, Riversdale, South Africa; Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Cape Town 7535, South Africa.
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo 2007, NSW, Australia.
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Wells HBM, Crego RD, Opedal ØH, Khasoha LM, Alston JM, Reed CG, Weiner S, Kurukura S, Hassan AA, Namoni M, Ekadeli J, Kimuyu DM, Young TP, Kartzinel TR, Palmer TM, Pringle RM, Goheen JR. Experimental evidence that effects of megaherbivores on mesoherbivore space use are influenced by species' traits. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2510-2522. [PMID: 34192343 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The extinction of 80% of megaherbivore (>1,000 kg) species towards the end of the Pleistocene altered vegetation structure, fire dynamics and nutrient cycling world-wide. Ecologists have proposed (re)introducing megaherbivores or their ecological analogues to restore lost ecosystem functions and reinforce extant but declining megaherbivore populations. However, the effects of megaherbivores on smaller herbivores are poorly understood. We used long-term exclusion experiments and multispecies hierarchical models fitted to dung counts to test (a) the effect of megaherbivores (elephant and giraffe) on the occurrence (dung presence) and use intensity (dung pile density) of mesoherbivores (2-1,000 kg), and (b) the extent to which the responses of each mesoherbivore species was predictable based on their traits (diet and shoulder height) and phylogenetic relatedness. Megaherbivores increased the predicted occurrence and use intensity of zebras but reduced the occurrence and use intensity of several other mesoherbivore species. The negative effect of megaherbivores on mesoherbivore occurrence was stronger for shorter species, regardless of diet or relatedness. Megaherbivores substantially reduced the expected total use intensity (i.e. cumulative dung density of all species) of mesoherbivores, but only minimally reduced the expected species richness (i.e. cumulative predicted occurrence probabilities of all species) of mesoherbivores (by <1 species). Simulated extirpation of megaherbivores altered use intensity by mesoherbivores, which should be considered during (re)introductions of megaherbivores or their ecological proxies. Species' traits (in this case shoulder height) may be more reliable predictors of mesoherbivores' responses to megaherbivores than phylogenetic relatedness, and may be useful for predicting responses of data-limited species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry B M Wells
- Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.,Space for Giants, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Ramiro D Crego
- National Zoo and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Conservation Ecology Center, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | | | - Leo M Khasoha
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Jesse M Alston
- Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Görlitz, Germany
| | - Courtney G Reed
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Sarah Weiner
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Duncan M Kimuyu
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Natural Resources, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Truman P Young
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Plant Sciences and Ecology Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Tyler R Kartzinel
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Program in Ecology, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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Lundgren EJ, Schowanek SD, Rowan J, Middleton O, Pedersen RØ, Wallach AD, Ramp D, Davis M, Sandom CJ, Svenning JC. Functional traits of the world's late Quaternary large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores. Sci Data 2021; 8:17. [PMID: 33473149 PMCID: PMC7817692 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-00788-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Prehistoric and recent extinctions of large-bodied terrestrial herbivores had significant and lasting impacts on Earth's ecosystems due to the loss of their distinct trait combinations. The world's surviving large-bodied avian and mammalian herbivores remain among the most threatened taxa. As such, a greater understanding of the ecological impacts of large herbivore losses is increasingly important. However, comprehensive and ecologically-relevant trait datasets for extinct and extant herbivores are lacking. Here, we present HerbiTraits, a comprehensive functional trait dataset for all late Quaternary terrestrial avian and mammalian herbivores ≥10 kg (545 species). HerbiTraits includes key traits that influence how herbivores interact with ecosystems, namely body mass, diet, fermentation type, habitat use, and limb morphology. Trait data were compiled from 557 sources and comprise the best available knowledge on late Quaternary large-bodied herbivores. HerbiTraits provides a tool for the analysis of herbivore functional diversity both past and present and its effects on Earth's ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erick J Lundgren
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Simon D Schowanek
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - John Rowan
- Department of Anthropology, University at Albany, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Owen Middleton
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | - Rasmus Ø Pedersen
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Arian D Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia
| | - Matt Davis
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | | | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Malhi Y, Franklin J, Seddon N, Solan M, Turner MG, Field CB, Knowlton N. Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190104. [PMID: 31983329 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid anthropogenic climate change that is being experienced in the early twenty-first century is intimately entwined with the health and functioning of the biosphere. Climate change is impacting ecosystems through changes in mean conditions and in climate variability, coupled with other associated changes such as increased ocean acidification and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. It also interacts with other pressures on ecosystems, including degradation, defaunation and fragmentation. There is a need to understand the ecological dynamics of these climate impacts, to identify hotspots of vulnerability and resilience and to identify management interventions that may assist biosphere resilience to climate change. At the same time, ecosystems can also assist in the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. The mechanisms, potential and limits of such nature-based solutions to climate change need to be explored and quantified. This paper introduces a thematic issue dedicated to the interaction between climate change and the biosphere. It explores novel perspectives on how ecosystems respond to climate change, how ecosystem resilience can be enhanced and how ecosystems can assist in addressing the challenge of a changing climate. It draws on a Royal Society-National Academy of Sciences Forum held in Washington DC in November 2018, where these themes and issues were discussed. We conclude by identifying some priorities for academic research and practical implementation, in order to maximize the potential for maintaining a diverse, resilient and well-functioning biosphere under the challenging conditions of the twenty-first century. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Janet Franklin
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Nathalie Seddon
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
| | - Martin Solan
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, European Way, Southampton SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Monica G Turner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Christopher B Field
- Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Nancy Knowlton
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, MRC 163, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
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