A framework to apply trait‐based ecological restoration at large scales

Abstract

Upscaling trait‐based restoration to regional levels is necessary as we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. For this, we need to select species that achieve functional targets considering the regional species pool. Here, we present a framework to achieve multiple restoration targets using a regional species pool containing the species available on the market, species unavailable, and species that occur in reference ecosystems. The framework enables optimising functional diversity (FD), recovering FD and composition using reference ecosystems, reducing cost and increasing species diversity in restoration. Additionally, our framework allows the detection of functionally relevant species in the regional pool that are unavailable for restoration on the market. We illustrate our framework with a data set of Brazilian savanna tree communities. It was not possible to optimise FD with the species available on the market. To achieve this target, it would be necessary to use unavailable species from the regional pool. However, with the species available on the market it was possible to obtain communities resistant to fire and to restore functional composition and diversity to levels similar to or greater than those observed in reference ecosystems. Synthesis and applications. Our framework selects species to achieve multiple targets in large‐scale trait‐based restoration initiatives. The framework shows a range of solutions that can be achieved with the regional species pool. That allows the restoration practitioner to verify if functional parameters are truly optimised and which species should be added to the market or collected from the wild to achieve restoration targets. It also shows how different selected communities are from reference ecosystems, avoiding the unintentional creation of novel ecosystems.

Drivers of post‐fire resprouting success in restored Banksia woodlands

“…Despite wide interest in the development of a plant trait-based approach to restoration (e.g. Carlucci et al, 2020;Coutinho et al, 2023;Laughlin, 2014), we found little consistency in responses among species with shared traits. We invite future research of species responses to disturbances in ecological restoration to inform vegetation development.…”

Elevation modulates the impacts of climate change on the Brazilian Cerrado flora

“…S‐SDMs can offer practitioners lists of species that will persist over time in a given area, thus boosting climate change resilience in restoration projects (Butterfield et al., 2017; Fremout et al., 2020). The species selection for restoration can be further refined by crossing S‐SDM recommendations with the species available on the market as seeds and seedlings (Coutinho et al., 2023; Silva et al., 2022). We have made available an R script based on the analyses presented here for (1) conservationists to visualize the current and future distribution of all the 7398 species studied here, and (2) restoration practitioners to generate lists of species prone to occur in a specified coordinate in the future (2040).…”

Systematic review of field research reveals critical shortfalls for restoration of tropical grassy biomes

“…Incorporating TGB functioning into restoration practice is imperative for enhancing ecosystem resilience (Coutinho et al., 2023). Despite TGB having evolved with endogenous disturbances and specific edaphic conditions (Buisson et al., 2019; Veldman et al., 2015), only 55% of the experiments manipulated fire, herbivores or soils, and only 5% simultaneously manipulate two drivers.…”