Using the past to manage the future: the role of palaeoecological and long‐term data in ecological restoration

Abstract

Global change in its various expressions has impacted the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide, compromising the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and creating a predicament for the societies that benefit from them. Restoration ecology plays a key role in securing ecological integrity and societal well-being, and hence represents a global priority. However, human perception seldom goes back to the beginning of significant ecosystem degradation, making ecosystem assessment and restoration practices difficult. Long-term data, historical records, and paleoecological information can increase our understanding of ecological responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts and can directly contribute to the understanding and design of effective restoration practices. Here, examples from different ecosystems (drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests, coastal environments, and wetlands) brought together from around the world illustrate (1) how to develop appropriate restoration references under the current uncertain global change scenario; (2) how long-term perspectives on drivers of change can help to identify critical ecological elements, thus contributing to defining restoration goals; and (3) how to incorporate information from the past as guidance for present interventions and landscape management. The building of community and the specificity of paleoecological and historical records of ecological change over time will be key in facilitating the translation of long-term information into the living process of ecological restoration practice.

Medium-term monitoring reveals effects of El Niño Southern Oscillation climate variability on local salinity and faunal dynamics on a restored oyster reef

“…Although typical funding cycles prioritize short-term ecological monitoring, longer term studies are critical for understanding responses to large-scale estuarine variability [ 30 , 31 ], managing complex habitats [ 75 ], and informing restoration practices [ 76 ]. This five-year study captured more than one short ENSO cycle; however, ENSO cycles occur irregularly and, along with some other climate cycles (e.g.…”

Multiple meanings of history in restoration

“…Tree rings, e.g. are a rich source of information on past disturbance regimes and climatic variability (Swetnam et al 1999; Manzano et al 2020), but only if the trees or logs are still there.…”

Restoring tropical forest–grassland mosaics invaded by woody exotics

“…Restoration targets, that is the desired state post-restoration, can differ based on ecological, economic, and political contexts, and can range from a focus on restoring biodiversity, or on improving ecosystem functioning and provisioning of ES (Perring et al 2015). Restoration targets or "reference states" can be uninvaded native grasslands (Durbecq et al 2020), historical grassland states based on written records and/or paleoecology (Manzano et al 2020), "novel ecosystems" based on what is realistically achievable (Hobbs et al 2009), or resilient to predicted climate change scenarios (Gann et al 2019), or a combination of these (Prober et al 2015). Further, to ensure the long-term sustainability of restored communities, they also need to be resilient to endogenous disturbances (e.g.…”