UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030—What Chance for Success in Restoring Coastal Ecosystems?

Waltham, Nathan J.; Elliott, Michael; Lee, Joe; Lovelock, Catherine E.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Buelow, Christina; Simenstad, Charles A.; Nagelkerken, Ivan; Claassens, Louw; Wen, Colin Kuo-Chang; Barletta, M.; Connolly, Rod M.; Gillies, Christopher L.; Mitsch, William J.; Ogburn, Matthew B.; Purandare, Jemma; Possingham, Hugh P.; Sheaves, Marcus

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00071

Cited by 229 publications

(155 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…As the world settles into the era of the Anthropocene, and regulatory agencies worldwide seek to conserve and recover valuable ecosystem services (43), our study provides a positive example that successful marine restorations are possible on the scales that contribute directly to human well-being. It addresses key deliverables for the United Nation's Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) (44) and the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, including recovery of a threatened marine habitat (seagrasses), conservation of biodiversity, provisioning of habitat, and sequestration of carbon, as well as engagement of local, academic, and citizen groups toward action and education. Such examples are sorely needed to mobilize and incentivize other restoration efforts toward these international goals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of seagrass habitat leads to rapid recovery of coastal ecosystem services

et al. 2020

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There have been increasing attempts to reverse habitat degradation through active restoration, but few large-scale successes are reported to guide these efforts. Here, we report outcomes from a unique and very successful seagrass restoration project: Since 1999, over 70 million seeds of a marine angiosperm, eelgrass (Zostera marina), have been broadcast into mid-western Atlantic coastal lagoons, leading to recovery of 3612 ha of seagrass. Well-developed meadows now foster productive and diverse animal communities, sequester substantial stocks of carbon and nitrogen, and have prompted a parallel restoration for bay scallops (Argopecten irradians). Restored ecosystem services are approaching historic levels, but we also note that managers value services differently today than they did nine decades ago, emphasizing regulating in addition to provisioning services. Thus, this study serves as a blueprint for restoring and maintaining healthy ecosystems to safeguard multiple benefits, including co-benefits that may emerge as management priorities over time.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of seagrass habitat leads to rapid recovery of coastal ecosystem services

et al. 2020

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“…Restoration forms part of many government and non-government environmental programs, and is implemented by a diverse range of stakeholders, from community groups and not-for-profit organizations, to private companies and government agencies (Hobbs, 2017;Maron and Louis, 2018). Increased diversification of financing will be required to enable wider adoption and scaling-up of marine coastal restoration, to meet ambitious recent targets (e.g., increasing the global mangrove area by 20% by 2030 within the 'Global Mangrove Alliance' -a coalition of global conservation organizations Waltham et al, 2020). Opportunities such as market-based mechanisms to fund marine coastal restoration, including payment for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon storage or nutrient cycling) may increase resources available for restoration (Basconi et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Priorities and Motivations of Marine Coastal Restoration Research

et al. 2020

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Active restoration is becoming an increasingly important conservation intervention to counteract the degradation of marine coastal ecosystems. Understanding what has motivated the scientific community to research the restoration of marine coastal ecosystems and how restoration research projects are funded is essential if we want to scale-up restoration interventions to meaningful extents. Here, we systematically review and synthesize data to understand the motivations for research on the restoration of coral reefs, seagrass, mangroves, saltmarsh, and oyster reefs. We base this analysis off a published database of marine restoration studies, originally designed to estimate the cost and feasibility of marine coastal restoration, derived from mostly scientific studies published in peer-reviewed and some gray literature. For the present study, the database was updated with fields aimed at assessing the motivations, outcomes, and funding sources for each project. We classify restoration motivations into five categories: biotic, experimental, idealistic, legislative, and pragmatic. Moreover, we evaluate the variables measured and outcomes reported by the researchers and evaluate whether projects adhered to the Society for Ecological Restoration's (SER) standards for the practice of ecological restoration. The most common motivation of the scientific community to study restoration in marine coastal ecosystems was experimental i.e., to seek experimental data to answer ecological research questions or improve restoration approach, as expected since mostly peer-reviewed literature was evaluated here. There were differences in motivations among the five coastal ecosystems. For instance, biodiversity enhancement was the most common case for a biotic motivation in mangrove restoration projects. The most common metrics evaluated were growth/productivity, survivorship, habitat function, physical attributes, and reproduction. For most ecosystems, ecological outcomes were frequently reported, with socioeconomic implications of the restoration rarely mentioned, except for mangroves. Projects were largely funded by governmental Bayraktarov et al. Marine Restoration Motivations grants with some investment from private donations, non-governmental organizations, and the involvement of volunteers. Our findings and database provide critical data to align future research of the scientific community with the real social, economic and policy needs required to scale-up marine coastal restoration projects.

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“…Acknowledgment of the loss of these ecosystems coupled with growing recognition of the valuable functional role shellfish reefs perform in coastal systems, including water filtration, coastal protection, and fish production (e.g., Coen et al, ; Grabowski et al, ), has led to widespread interest in their restoration and protection (Baggett et al, , ; Gillies et al, ; Gillies, Crawford, & Hancock, ; Theuerkauf & Lipcius, ; zu Ermgassen et al, ). This growing scientific interest, coupled with expanding professional networks (e.g., http://shellfishrestoration.org.au, https://noraeurope.eu/) and public attention (including the recent announcement by the United Nations on the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, see also Young & Schwartz, ; Waltham et al, ), provides a platform to review and revise restoration processes and experiences related to shellfish reef restoration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoring shellfish reefs: Global guidelines for practitioners and scientists

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Branigan

Gillies

et al. 2020

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Widespread global declines in shellfish reefs (ecosystem-forming bivalves such as oysters and mussels) have led to growing interest in their restoration and protection. With restoration projects now occurring on four continents and in at least seven countries, global restoration guidelines for these ecosystems have been developed based on experience over the past two decades. The following key elements of the guidelines are outlined: (a) the case for shellfish reef restoration and securing financial resources; (b) planning, feasibility, and goal setting; (c) biosecurity and permitting; (d) restoration in practice; (e) scaling up from pilot to larger scale restoration, (f) monitoring, (g) restoration beyond oyster reefs (specifically mussels), and (h) successful communication for shellfish reef restoration projects.

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UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030—What Chance for Success in Restoring Coastal Ecosystems?

Cited by 229 publications

References 16 publications

Restoration of seagrass habitat leads to rapid recovery of coastal ecosystem services

Restoration of seagrass habitat leads to rapid recovery of coastal ecosystem services

Priorities and Motivations of Marine Coastal Restoration Research

Restoring shellfish reefs: Global guidelines for practitioners and scientists

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