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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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2
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Bockel T, Marre G, Delaruelle G, Agel N, Boissery P, Guilhaumon F, Mouquet N, Mouillot D, Guilbert A, Deter J. Early signals of Posidonia oceanica meadows recovery in a context of wastewater treatment improvements. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 201:116193. [PMID: 38428047 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Natural ecological restoration is a cornerstone of modern conservation science and managers need more documented "success stories" to lead the way. In French mediterranean sea, we monitored Posidonia oceanica lower limit using acoustic telemetry and photogrammetry and investigated the descriptors driving its variations, at a national scale and over more than a decade. We showed significant effects of environmental descriptors (region, sea surface temperature and bottom temperature) but also of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents proxies (size of WWTP, time since conformity, and distance to the closest effluent) on the meadows lower limit progression. This work indicates a possible positive response of P. oceanica meadows to improvements in wastewater treatment and a negative effect of high temperatures. While more data is needed, the example of French wastewater policy should inspire stakeholders and coastal managers in their efforts to limit anthropogenic pressures on vulnerable ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bockel
- Andromède océanologie, 7 place Cassan, Carnon plage, 34130 Mauguio, France; MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France.
| | - Guilhem Marre
- Andromède océanologie, 7 place Cassan, Carnon plage, 34130 Mauguio, France
| | | | - Noémie Agel
- Andromède océanologie, 7 place Cassan, Carnon plage, 34130 Mauguio, France
| | - Pierre Boissery
- Agence de l'Eau Rhône-Méditerranée-Corse, Délégation de Marseille, immeuble CMCI, 2 rue Henri Barbusse, CS 90464, 13207 Marseille Cedex 01, France
| | - François Guilhaumon
- MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France
| | - Nicolas Mouquet
- MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France; FRB - CESAB, Institut Bouisson Bertrand, 5, rue de l'École de médecine, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - David Mouillot
- MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France
| | - Antonin Guilbert
- Andromède océanologie, 7 place Cassan, Carnon plage, 34130 Mauguio, France
| | - Julie Deter
- Andromède océanologie, 7 place Cassan, Carnon plage, 34130 Mauguio, France; MARBEC, UMR IRD-CNRS-UM-IFREMER 9190, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex, France
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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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Barrera‐Cataño JI, Garibello J, Moreno‐Cárdenas C, Basto S. Trade offs at applying tree nucleation to restore degraded high andean forests in colombia. Restor Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José I. Barrera‐Cataño
- Escuela de Restauración ecológica (ERE), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
- Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
| | - Juan Garibello
- Escuela de Restauración ecológica (ERE), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
| | - Carolina Moreno‐Cárdenas
- Escuela de Restauración ecológica (ERE), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
| | - Sofía Basto
- Unidad de Ecología y Sistemática (UNESIS), Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
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Simler-Williamson AB, Germino MJ. Statistical considerations of nonrandom treatment applications reveal region-wide benefits of widespread post-fire restoration action. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3472. [PMID: 35710763 PMCID: PMC9203498 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31102-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate predictions of ecological restoration outcomes are needed across the increasingly large landscapes requiring treatment following disturbances. However, observational studies often fail to account for nonrandom treatment application, which can result in invalid inference. Examining a spatiotemporally extensive management treatment involving post-fire seeding of declining sagebrush shrubs across semiarid areas of the western USA over two decades, we quantify drivers and consequences of selection biases in restoration using remotely sensed data. From following more than 1,500 wildfires, we find treatments were disproportionately applied in more stressful, degraded ecological conditions. Failure to incorporate unmeasured drivers of treatment allocation led to the conclusion that costly, widespread seedings were unsuccessful; however, after considering sources of bias, restoration positively affected sagebrush recovery. Treatment effects varied with climate, indicating prioritization criteria for interventions. Our findings revise the perspective that post-fire sagebrush seedings have been broadly unsuccessful and demonstrate how selection biases can pose substantive inferential hazards in observational studies of restoration efficacy and the development of restoration theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison B Simler-Williamson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 1910 W University Dr, Boise, ID, 83725, USA.
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 230 N. Collins Rd., Boise, ID, 83702, USA.
| | - Matthew J Germino
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 230 N. Collins Rd., Boise, ID, 83702, USA
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Atkinson J, Brudvig LA, Mallen-Cooper M, Nakagawa S, Moles AT, Bonser SP. Terrestrial ecosystem restoration increases biodiversity and reduces its variability, but not to reference levels: A global meta-analysis. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1725-1737. [PMID: 35559594 PMCID: PMC9320827 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Ecological restoration projects often have variable and unpredictable outcomes, and these can limit the overall impact on biodiversity. Previous syntheses have investigated restoration effectiveness by comparing average restored conditions to average conditions in unrestored or reference systems. Here, we provide the first quantification of the extent to which restoration affects both the mean and variability of biodiversity outcomes, through a global meta-analysis of 83 terrestrial restoration studies. We found that, relative to unrestored (degraded) sites, restoration actions increased biodiversity by an average of 20%, while decreasing the variability of biodiversity (quantified by the coefficient of variation) by an average of 14%. As restorations aged, mean biodiversity increased and variability decreased relative to unrestored sites. However, restoration sites remained, on average, 13% below the biodiversity of reference (target) ecosystems, and were characterised by higher (20%) variability. The lower mean and higher variability in biodiversity at restored sites relative to reference sites remained consistent over time, suggesting that sources of variation (e.g. prior land use, restoration practices) have an enduring influence on restoration outcomes. Our results point to the need for new research confronting the causes of variability in restoration outcomes, and close variability and biodiversity gaps between restored and reference conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe Atkinson
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lars A Brudvig
- Department of Plant Biology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Max Mallen-Cooper
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Angela T Moles
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Stephen P Bonser
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
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Billah MM, Bhuiyan MKA, Islam MA, Das J, Hoque AR. Salt marsh restoration: an overview of techniques and success indicators. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:15347-15363. [PMID: 34989993 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-18305-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Coastal wetlands including salt marshes are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth. They are known for improving the quality of coastal water and provisioning coastal fisheries. However, this ecosystem is under potential threat due to urban coastal land reclamation, limited sediment supply, increased nutrient/eutrophication, and sea level rise. Therefore, restoration efforts to protect the degraded salt marsh habitat are considerably increasing worldwide. In this paper, we present an overview of salt marsh restoration techniques and success indicators. Published scientific literature in English language was collected by searching the most relevant keywords from popular search engines, namely, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Mendeley to get the information about salt marsh restoration techniques and success indicators. This study comprehensively reviewed data from 78 peer-reviewed papers. Results indicated that much of the salt marsh was restored through assisted abiotic strategies (e.g., recovery of tidal exchange, managed realignment, and sediment level amendment). A total of 214 indicators were found, spanning over six major ecological attributes such as structural diversity, ecosystem functions, physical conditions, species composition, external exchange, and absence of threat. Author keywords analysis revealed several hotspots for recent research (e.g., 16 s rRNA, fungi, microbial communities, carbon accumulation, and blue carbon). This paper proposes a model for restoring degraded salt marsh, as well as tracking their success. The information presented here will assist the marine ecosystem restoration practitioners in getting a comprehensive understanding of salt marsh restoration success evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Masum Billah
- Inter-Departmental Research Centre for Environmental Science-CIRSA, University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus, Via S. Alberto 163, 48123, Ravenna, Italy.
| | - Md Khurshid Alam Bhuiyan
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cadiz, Polígono Río San Pedro s/n, 11510, Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Mohammad Ahsanul Islam
- Department of Oceanography, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, 3114, Bangladesh
- Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
| | - Jewel Das
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh
| | - Atm Rafiqul Hoque
- Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, 4331, Bangladesh
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Osuri AM, Mudappa D, Kasinathan S, Raman TRS. Canopy cover and ecological restoration increase natural regeneration of rainforest trees in the Western Ghats, India. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Ram MA, Caughlin TT, Roopsind A. Active restoration leads to rapid recovery of aboveground biomass but limited recovery of fish diversity in planted mangrove forests of the North Brazil Shelf. Restor Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/rec.13400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Ram
- Department of Biology University of Guyana Turkeyen Campus Georgetown Guyana
| | - T. Trevor Caughlin
- Department of Biological Sciences Boise State University Boise Idaho 83725 U.S.A
| | - Anand Roopsind
- Center for Natural Climate Solutions Conservation International 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 600 Arlington Virginia 22202 U.S.A
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Abstract
Adaptive water management is a promising management paradigm for rivers that addresses the uncertainty of decision consequences. However, its implementation into current practice is still a challenge. An optimization assessment can be framed within the adaptive management cycle allowing the definition of environmental flows (e-flows) in a suitable format for decision making. In this study, we demonstrate its suitability to mediate the incorporation of e-flows into diversion management planning, fostering the realization of an adaptive management approach. We used the case study of the Pas River, Northern Spain, as the setting for the optimization of surface water diversion. We considered e-flow requirements for three key river biological groups to reflect conditions that promote ecological conservation. By drawing from hydrological scenarios (i.e., dry, normal, and wet), our assessment showed that the overall target water demand can be met, whereas the daily volume of water available for diversion was not constant throughout the year. These results suggest that current the decision making needs to consider the seasonal time frame as the reference temporal scale for objectives adjustment and monitoring. The approach can be transferred to other study areas and can inform decision makers that aim to engage with all the stages of the adaptive water management cycle.
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