Expert‐based assessment of rewilding indicates progress at site‐level, yet challenges for upscaling

Abstract

Rewilding is gaining importance across Europe, as agricultural abandonment trajectories provide opportunities for large‐scale ecosystem restoration. However, its effective implementation is hitherto limited, in part due to a lack of monitoring of rewilding interventions and their interactions. Here, we provide a first assessment of rewilding progress across seven European sites. Using an iterative and participatory Delphi technique to standardize and analyze expert‐based knowledge of these sites, we 1) map rewilding interventions onto the three central components of the rewilding framework (i.e. stochastic disturbances, trophic complexity and dispersal), 2) assess rewilding progress by quantifying 19 indicators spanning human forcing and ecological integrity and 3) compile key success and threat factors for rewilding progress. We find that the most common interventions were keystone species reintroductions, whereas the least common targeted stochastic disturbances. We find that rewilding scores have improved in five sites, but declined in two, partly due to competing socio‐economic trends. Major threats for rewilding progress are related to land‐use intensification policies and persecution of keystone species. Major determinants of rewilding success are its societal appeal and socio‐economic benefits to local people. We provide an assessment of rewilding that is crucial in improving its restoration outcomes and informed implementation at scale across Europe in this decade of ecosystem restoration.

Mediterranean developed coasts: what future for the foredune restoration?

“…However, the most important lesson that can be drawn from our study is that only passive conservation measures (e.g., closure of accesses, no entry areas) are not enough to ensure restoration success, and a correct management should include educational activities to stimulate a pro-environmental behaviour and lead visitors to act in a way that benefits the natural environment, or at least does not result in adverse environmental impacts (Kim 2012). In a recent review, Segar et al (2021) reported that the effectiveness of restoration projects is often constrained by external pressures (e.g., the socio-economic environment), and that the success highly relies on effective communication and policy mechanisms. Although it may be difficult for beach managers to identify the most effective strategies to promote pro-environmental behaviour, educating individuals on the value of coastal dunes is mandatory to influence their behaviour (Dodds and Holmes 2018).…”

Supporting the restoration of complex ecosystems requires long‐term and multi‐scale perspectives

“…This supports the adoption of rewilding at scale in policy and decision‐making to fulfill the goals of the post‐2020 biodiversity framework and the spirit of the declaration of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (Svenning 2020). However, an enabling policy environment is needed to facilitate actions at wide scales, and policy mechanisms at the national and international scale such as the European Common Agricultural Policy need to be adjusted for these strategies to scale‐up beyond individual sites (Segar et al 2021).…”

“…Focusing on seven European rewilding sites, Segar et al (2021) quantify changes over time across three central rewilding components that aim to encompass key ecological processes that are essential for self‐organizing and complex systems: stochastic disturbances, trophic complexity and dispersal. They then use expert elicitation to measure progress along these components and find overall progress for five of the seven sites, and decrease in the two remaining sites, attributable to an increase in human forcing.…”

“…Papers in this special issue cover from local‐scale studies (Mittelman et al 2021, Zhang et al 2021) to continental (Segar et al 2021, Quintero‐Uribe et al 2022) and global (Monsarrat and Svenning 2021, Storch et al 2021, Vynne et al 2022), highlighting a growing interest for restoration research from a broad range of spatial perspectives.…”

Degree of Abandoned Cropland and Socioeconomic Impact Factors in China: Multi-Level Analysis Model Based on the Farmer and District/County Levels

“…The phenomenon of arable land abandonment often has mixed effects on economic, social and ecological systems [17]. Positive effects have been found, in terms of ecological effects such as vegetation and soil recovery, water retention, and increased biodiversity [18][19][20][21]. However, more studies have reported negative effects which, in addition to affecting food security, have led to increased fire frequency, higher agricultural costs, and loss of traditional agricultural landscapes and cultural values, among others [22][23][24][25][26].…”