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Larson CD, Rew LJ. Restoration intensity shapes floristic recovery after forest road decommissioning. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 319:115729. [PMID: 35853306 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Forest roads fragment and degrade ecosystems and many have fallen into disrepair and are underutilized, to address these issues the United States Forest Service is restoring, or "decommissioning," thousands of kilometers of forest roads each year. Despite the prevalence of decommissioning and the importance of vegetation to restoration success, relatively little is known about floristic responses to different forest road decommissioning treatments or subsequent recovery to reference conditions. Over a ten year period, this study assessed floristic cover, diversity, and composition responses to and recovery on forest roads decommissioned using three treatments varying in intensity (abandonment, ripping, recontouring), in Montana, USA. Initially, floristic cover groups were lowest on the recontoured roads, however, they demonstrated the fastest temporal response (e.g. increased litter and vegetative cover). The floristic communities of both active treatments (ripped and recontoured) had more species and were more diverse than the communities of the abandoned (control) treatment. Among the three on-road plant communities, the recontoured treatment was most associated with desirable species, including the native shrubs Rosa woodsii and Spirea betulifolia, while the abandoned treatment was most associated with two non-native species, Taraxacum officinale and Trifolium repens. Assessed using a restoration index, recovery to reference conditions was limited in all treatments, however, the recontoured treatment had a positive restoration trajectory in seven of eight metrics and was the best recovered treatment. Community composition on the recontoured treatment had more native species than the other treatments, and was moving toward, though still substantially different from, reference communities. These findings demonstrate that restoration of forest roads benefit from active restoration methods and, while forest road recontouring facilitates floristic recovery in the first decade after decommissioning, full recovery will likely take years to decades longer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian D Larson
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, 334 Leon Johnson Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59717, United States.
| | - Lisa J Rew
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, 334 Leon Johnson Hall, Bozeman, MT, 59717, United States
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2
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Elliott CP, Commander LE, Merino‐Martín L, Golos PJ, Stevens J, Miller BP. An approach to defining and achieving restoration targets for a threatened plant community. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2613. [PMID: 35366034 PMCID: PMC9539575 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Connecting scientific research and government policy is essential for achieving objectives in sustaining biodiversity in an economic context. Our approach to connecting theoretical ecology, applied ecology, and policy was devised using principles of restoration ecology and the requisite methodology to restore biodiverse ecosystems. Using a threatened ecological community (TEC) with >120 plant species, we posit our approach as a guide for interpreting and achieving regulatory compliance (i.e., government conditions) enacted to manage or offset environmental impacts of development. We inform the scientific approach necessary to delivering outcomes appropriate to policy intent and biodiverse restoration through theoretical and applied research into the ecological restoration of the highly endemic flora of banded ironstone formations of the Mid West of Western Australia. Our approach (1) defines scale-appropriate restoration targets that meet regulatory compliance (e.g., Government of Western Australia Ministerial Conditions); (2) determines the optimal method to return individual plant species to the restoration landscape; (3) develops a conceptual model for our system, based on existing restoration frameworks, to optimize and facilitate the pathway to the restoration of a vegetation community (e.g., TEC) using diverse research approaches; and (4) develops an assessment protocol to compare restoration achievements against the expected regulatory outcomes using our experimental restoration trials as a test example. Our approach systematically addressed the complex challenges in setting and achieving restoration targets for an entire vegetation community, a first for a semiarid environment. We interpret our approach as an industry application relevant to policy- or regulator-mediated mine restoration programs that seek to return biodiverse species assemblages at landscape scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. P. Elliott
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - L. E. Commander
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - L. Merino‐Martín
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
- Present address:
Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química inorgánicaESCET, Universidad Rey Juan CarlosMadridSpain
| | - P. J. Golos
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - J. Stevens
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - B. P. Miller
- Kings Park Science, Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsKings ParkWestern AustraliaAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Western AustraliaCrawleyWestern AustraliaAustralia
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3
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Ahirwal J, Maiti SK. Restoring coal mine degraded lands in India for achieving the United Nations‐Sustainable Development Goals. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jitendra Ahirwal
- Department of Forestry, School of Earth Sciences and Natural Resource Management Mizoram University Aizawl 796004 India
| | - Subodh Kumar Maiti
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad 826004 India
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4
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Kittipalawattanapol K, Jones ME, Barmuta LA, Bain G. Assessing the value of restoration plantings for wildlife in a temperate agricultural landscape. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Menna E. Jones
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
| | - Leon A. Barmuta
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
| | - Glen Bain
- School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Hobart Tasmania 7005 Australia
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Wood BM, Millar RS, Wright N, Baumgartner J, Holmquist H, Kiffner C. Hunter-Gatherers in context: Mammal community composition in a northern Tanzania landscape used by Hadza foragers and Datoga pastoralists. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251076. [PMID: 33989291 PMCID: PMC8121365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In many regions of sub Saharan Africa large mammals occur in human-dominated areas, yet their community composition and abundance have rarely been described in areas occupied by traditional hunter-gatherers and pastoralists. Surveys of mammal populations in such areas provide important measures of biodiversity and provide ecological context for understanding hunting practices. Using a sampling grid centered on a Hadza hunter-gatherer camp and covering 36 km2 of semi-arid savannah in northern Tanzania, we assessed mammals using camera traps (n = 19 stations) for c. 5 months (2,182 trap nights). In the study area (Tli’ika in the Hadza language), we recorded 36 wild mammal species. Rarefaction curves suggest that sampling effort was sufficient to capture mammal species richness, yet some species known to occur at low densities in the wider area (e.g. African lions, wildebeest) were not detected. Relative abundance indices of wildlife species varied by c. three orders of magnitude, from a mean of 0.04 (African wild dog) to 20.34 capture events per 100 trap-nights (Kirk’s dik dik). To contextualize the relative abundance of wildlife in the study area, we compared our study’s data to comparable camera trap data collected in a fully protected area of northern Tanzania with similar rainfall (Lake Manyara National Park). Raw data and negative binomial regression analyses show that wild herbivores and wild carnivores were generally detected in the national park at higher rates than in the Hadza-occupied region. Livestock were notably absent from the national park, but were detected at high levels in Tli’ika, and cattle was the second most frequently detected species in the Hadza-used area. We discuss how these data inform current conservation efforts, studies of Hadza hunting, and models of hunter-gatherer foraging ecology and diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian M. Wood
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BMW); (CK)
| | | | | | | | | | - Christian Kiffner
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Center For Wildlife Management Studies, The School For Field Studies, Karatu, Tanzania
- * E-mail: (BMW); (CK)
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Challenges during the execution, results, and monitoring phases of ecological restoration: Learning from a country-wide assessment. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249573. [PMID: 33822816 PMCID: PMC8023452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Outcomes from restoration projects are often difficult for policymakers and stakeholders to assess, but this information is fundamental for scaling up ecological restoration actions. We evaluated technical aspects of the interventions, results (ecological and socio-economic) and monitoring practices in 75 restoration projects in Mexico using a digital survey composed of 137 questions. We found that restoration projects in terrestrial ecosystems generally relied on actions included in minimal (97%) and maximal (86%) intervention, while in wetlands, the preferred restoration strategies were intermediate (75%) and minimal intervention (63%). Only a third of the projects (38%) relied on collective learning as a source of knowledge to generate techniques (traditional management). In most of the projects (73%), multiple criteria (>2) were considered when selecting plant species for plantings; the most frequently used criterion was that plant species were found within the restoration area, native or naturalized (i.e., a circa situm criterion; 88%). In 48% of the projects, the biological material required for restoration (e.g., seeds and seedlings) were gathered or propagated by project implementers rather than purchased commercially. Only a few projects (between 33 and 34%) reached a high level of biodiversity recovery (>75%). Most of the projects (between 69 to71%) recovered less than 50% of the ecological services. Most of the projects (82%) led to improved individual relationships. The analysis revealed a need to implement strategies that are cost-effective, the application of traditional ecological knowledge and the inclusion of indigenous people and local communities in restoration programs at all stages—from planning to implementation, through monitoring. We also identified the need to expand research to develop effective tools to assess ecosystems’ regeneration potential and develop theoretical frameworks to move beyond short-term markers to set and achieve medium- and long-term goals. Cautious and comprehensive planning of national strategies must consider the abovementioned identified gaps.
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Binny RN, Innes J, Fitzgerald N, Pech R, James A, Price R, Gillies C, Byrom AE. Long‐term biodiversity trajectories for pest‐managed ecological restorations: eradication vs. suppression. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachelle N. Binny
- Manaaki Whenua‐Landcare Research Lincoln New Zealand
- Te Pūnaha Matatini New Zealand
| | - John Innes
- Manaaki Whenua‐Landcare Research Hamilton New Zealand
| | | | - Roger Pech
- Manaaki Whenua‐Landcare Research Lincoln New Zealand
| | - Alex James
- Te Pūnaha Matatini New Zealand
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand
| | - Robbie Price
- Manaaki Whenua‐Landcare Research Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Craig Gillies
- Department of Conservation, Biodiversity Group Hamilton New Zealand
| | - Andrea E. Byrom
- Manaaki Whenua‐Landcare Research Lincoln New Zealand
- NZ Biological Heritage National Science Challenge New Zealand
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8
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Guyton JA, Pansu J, Hutchinson MC, Kartzinel TR, Potter AB, Coverdale TC, Daskin JH, da Conceição AG, Peel MJS, Stalmans ME, Pringle RM. Trophic rewilding revives biotic resistance to shrub invasion. Nat Ecol Evol 2020; 4:712-724. [PMID: 31932702 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-019-1068-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Trophic rewilding seeks to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems by repopulating them with large animals, thereby re-establishing strong top-down interactions. Yet there are very few tests of whether such initiatives can restore ecosystem structure and functions, and on what timescales. Here we show that war-induced collapse of large-mammal populations in Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park exacerbated woody encroachment by the invasive shrub Mimosa pigra-considered one of the world's 100 worst invasive species-and that one decade of concerted trophic rewilding restored this invasion to pre-war baseline levels. Mimosa occurrence increased between 1972 and 2015, a period encompassing the near extirpation of large herbivores during the Mozambican Civil War. From 2015 to 2019, mimosa abundance declined as ungulate biomass recovered. DNA metabarcoding revealed that ruminant herbivores fed heavily on mimosa, and experimental exclosures confirmed the causal role of mammalian herbivory in containing shrub encroachment. Our results provide mechanistic evidence that trophic rewilding has rapidly revived a key ecosystem function (biotic resistance to a notorious woody invader), underscoring the potential for restoring ecological health in degraded protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Guyton
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Johan Pansu
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Station Biologique de Roscoff, UMR 7144 CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Roscoff, France.,CSIRO Ocean & Atmosphere, Lucas Heights, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Matthew C Hutchinson
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Tyler R Kartzinel
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Arjun B Potter
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Tyler C Coverdale
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joshua H Daskin
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.,Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | - Mike J S Peel
- ARC-Animal Production Institute, Rangeland Ecology Group, Nelspruit, South Africa
| | - Marc E Stalmans
- Department of Scientific Services, Parque Nacional da Gorongosa, Sofala, Mozambique
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. .,Department of Scientific Services, Parque Nacional da Gorongosa, Sofala, Mozambique.
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9
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Alaniz AJ, Pérez‐Quezada JF, Galleguillos M, Vásquez AE, Keith DA. Operationalizing the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems in public policy. Conserv Lett 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto J. Alaniz
- Centro de Estudios en Ecología Espacial y Medio Ambiente—Ecogeografía Santiago Chile
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales RenovablesUniversidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Departamento de Gestión Agraria, Facultad TecnológicaUniversidad de Santiago Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Jorge F. Pérez‐Quezada
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales RenovablesUniversidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB)Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Mauricio Galleguillos
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales RenovablesUniversidad de Chile Santiago Chile
- Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR2)Universidad de Chile Santiago Chile
| | | | - David A. Keith
- Centre for Ecosystem ScienceUniversity of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage Sydney New South Wales Australia
- IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management Gland Switzerland
- IUCN Species Survival Commission Gland Switzerland
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10
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Torres A, Fernández N, Zu Ermgassen S, Helmer W, Revilla E, Saavedra D, Perino A, Mimet A, Rey-Benayas JM, Selva N, Schepers F, Svenning JC, Pereira HM. Measuring rewilding progress. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 373:rstb.2017.0433. [PMID: 30348877 PMCID: PMC6231071 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Rewilding is emerging as a promising restoration strategy to enhance the conservation status of biodiversity and promote self-regulating ecosystems while re-engaging people with nature. Overcoming the challenges in monitoring and reporting rewilding projects would improve its practical implementation and maximize its conservation and restoration outcomes. Here, we present a novel approach for measuring and monitoring progress in rewilding that focuses on the ecological attributes of rewilding. We devised a bi-dimensional framework for assessing the recovery of processes and their natural dynamics through (i) decreasing human forcing on ecological processes and (ii) increasing ecological integrity of ecosystems. The rewilding assessment framework incorporates the reduction of material inputs and outputs associated with human management, as well as the restoration of natural stochasticity and disturbance regimes, landscape connectivity and trophic complexity. Furthermore, we provide a list of potential activities for increasing the ecological integrity after reviewing the evidence for the effectiveness of common restoration actions. For illustration purposes, we apply the framework to three flagship restoration projects in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Argentina. This approach has the potential to broaden the scope of rewilding projects, facilitate sound decision-making and connect the science and practice of rewilding.This article is part of the theme issue 'Trophic rewilding: consequences for ecosystems under global change'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Torres
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany .,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Néstor Fernández
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Sophus Zu Ermgassen
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany.,Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Kent CT2 7NZ, UK
| | - Wouter Helmer
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Eloy Revilla
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville 41092, Spain
| | - Deli Saavedra
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Perino
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany
| | - Anne Mimet
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Department Computational Landscape Ecology, UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig 04318, Germany
| | - José M Rey-Benayas
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, Av. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Frans Schepers
- Rewilding Europe, Toernooiveld 1, 6525 ED Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Department of Bioscience, Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 114, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Henrique M Pereira
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale) 06108, Germany.,Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), Universidade do Porto, 4485-661, Vairāo, Portugal
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