Demand for restoration of resilient, self-sustaining, and biodiverse natural ecosystems as a conservation measure is increasing globally; however, restoration efforts frequently fail to meet standards appropriate for this objective. Achieving these standards requires management underpinned by input from diverse scientific disciplines including ecology, biotechnology, engineering, soil science, ecophysiology, and genetics. Despite increasing restoration research activity, a gap between the immediate needs of restoration practitioners and the outputs of restoration science often limits the effectiveness of restoration programs. Regrettably, studies often fail to identify the practical issues most critical for restoration success. We propose that part of this oversight may result from the absence of a considered statement of the necessary practical restoration science questions. Here we develop a comprehensive framework of the research required to bridge this gap and guide effective restoration. We structure questions in five themes: (1) setting targets and planning for success, (2) sourcing biological material, (3) optimizing establishment, (4) facilitating growth and survival, and (5) restoring resilience, sustainability, and landscape integration. This framework will assist restoration practitioners and scientists to identify knowledge gaps and develop strategic research focused on applied outcomes. The breadth of questions highlights the importance of cross-discipline collaboration among restoration scientists, and while the program is broad, successful restoration projects have typically invested in many or most of these themes. Achieving restoration ecology's goal of averting biodiversity losses is a vast challenge: investment in appropriate science is urgently needed for ecological restoration to fulfill its potential and meet demand as a conservation tool

Citation for published item:worenoEde ls rersD wF nd xioluD tFwF nd werinoEwrt¡ %nD vF nd iloxD fFF @PHIHA 9lotEsle e'ets on runo' nd erosion long slope degrdtion grdientF9D ter resoures reserhFD RT @RAF HRSHQF Further information on publisher's website: httpsXGGdoiForgGIHFIHPWGPHHWHHUVUS Publisher's copyright statement:worenoEde ls rersD wFD xioluD tFwFD werinoEwrt¡ %nD vF iloxD fFF @PHIHAF lotEsle e'ets on runo' nd erosion long slope degrdtion grdientF ter esoures eserh RT@RAX HRSHQD IHFIHPWGPHHWHHUVUS @hysAF o view the pulished open strtD go to httpsXGGdoiForgG nd enter the hysF Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. [1] In Earth and ecological sciences, an important, crosscutting issue is the relationship between scale and the processes of runoff and erosion. In drylands, understanding this relationship is critical for understanding ecosystem functionality and degradation processes. Recent work has suggested that the effects of scale may differ depending on the extent of degradation. To test this hypothesis, runoff and sediment yield were monitored during a hydrological year on 20 plots of various lengths (1-15 m). These plots were located on a series of five reclaimed mining slopes in a Mediterranean-dry environment. The five slopes exhibited various degrees of vegetative cover and surface erosion. A general decrease of unit area runoff was observed with increasing plot scale for all slopes. Nevertheless, the amount of reinfiltrated runoff along each slope varied with the extent of degradation, being highest at the least degraded slope and vice versa. In other words, unit area runoff decreased the least on the most disturbed site as plot length increased. Unit area sediment yield declined with increasing plot length for the undisturbed and moderately disturbed sites, but it actually increased for the highly disturbed sites. The different scaling behavior of the most degraded slopes was especially clear under high-intensity rainfall conditions, when flow concentration favored rill erosion. Our results confirm that in drylands, the effects of scale on runoff and erosion change with the extent of degradation, resulting in a substantial loss of soil and water from disturbed systems, which could reinforce the degradation process through feedback mechanisms with vegetation.Citation: Moreno-de las Heras, M., J. M. Nicolau, L. Merino-Martín, and B. P. Wilcox (2010), Plot-scale effects on runoff and erosion along a slope degradation gradient, Water Resour. Res., 46, W04503,

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