Harnessing ecological theory to enhance ecosystem restoration

Details

• Journal Title:
  Current Biology
• Personal Author:
  Silliman, B.R. ; Hensel, M.J.S. ; Gibert, J.P. ; Daleo, P. ; Smith, C.S. ; Wieczynski, D.J. ; Angelini, C. ; Paxton, A.B.
• NOAA Program & Office:
  NOS (National Ocean Service) ; NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science)
• Description:
  Ecosystem restoration can increase the health and resilience of nature and humanity. As a result, the international community is championing habitat restoration as a primary solution to address the dual climate and biodiversity crises. Yet most ecosystem restoration efforts to date have underperformed, failed, or been burdened by high costs that prevent upscaling. To become a primary, scalable conservation strategy, restoration efficiency and success must increase dramatically. Here, we outline how integrating ten foundational ecological theories that have not previously received much attention — from hierarchical facilitation to macroecology — into ecosystem restoration planning and management can markedly enhance restoration success. We propose a simple, systematic approach to determining which theories best align with restoration goals and are most likely to bolster their success. Armed with a century of advances in ecological theory, restoration practitioners will be better positioned to more cost-efficiently and effectively rebuild the world’s ecosystems and support the resilience of our natural resources.
• Keywords:
  Habitat (Ecology) Restoration Ecology Restoration Ecology Ecological Theory Ecosystem Restoration Habitat Restoration
• Source:
  Curr Biol. 2024 May 6;34(9):R418-R434
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.043
• Format:
  PDF
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Rights Information:
  Accepted Manuscript
• Rights Statement:
  The NOAA IR provides access to this content under the authority of the government's retained license to distribute publications and data resulting from federal funding. While users may legally access this content, the copyright owners retain rights that govern the reproduction, redistribution, and re-use of this work. The user is solely responsible for complying with applicable copyright law.
• Compliance:
  Submitted
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6e7c9f44fdfa3ee3833af8dcb9ed98ce97570c7d473b1ad2efb84ac30b51db2a068e650fd5a8d39dd62c79258ef6c60f7429f6f060c244666869108cddfabed2
• Download URL:
  https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/61867/noaa_61867_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.57 MB ]