Resource Database

Proyecto Islas: Restoring tropical forest in Costa Rica

This 7-min video provides an overview of the 15-yr long study led by Rakan Zahawi and Karen Holl to test applied nucleation (planting tree islands) as a strategy to restore tropical forests.  Their study comparing natural regeneration, applied nucleation, and tree plantations is replicated at 12 sites in southern Costa Rica

Mapping forest vegetation for the continental US using modified random forests imputation of FIA forest plots

Presented by SER-NW with Karin Riley with the USDA Forest Service. Maps of trees in forests are desirable for many applications. However, detailed mapping for large areas is not currently feasible, but statistical methods can populate landscapes with a limited set of data.

Minnesota Legacy Fund Restoration Evaluation Program: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Minnesota Legacy Fund Restoration Evaluation Program

Presenters:  Wade Johnson and Gina Quiram, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources

Implementation of Habitat in the Detroit Area of Concern (AOC) – Stony and Celeron Islands: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Implementation of Habitat in the Detroit Area of Concern (AOC) – Stony and Celeron Islands

Presenters:  John O’Meary, Sam Lovall, Robert Burns, Alice Bailey, and Tricia Blicharski

Integrated Restoration Prioritization: A Strategic Tool for Improving Natural Systems in the Greater Toronto Area and Determining Practical Key Performance Measures for Ecological Restoration Practitioners: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Integrated Restoration Prioritization: A Strategic Tool for Improving Natural Systems in the Greater Toronto Area  Presenter: Andrew Ramesbottom

 Topic: Determining Practical Key Performance Measures for Ecological Restoration Practitioners:  Challenges and Considerations.  Presenter: Patrick Esson

Implementation of Successful Invasive Species Management Across Property Boundaries: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Implementation of Successful Invasive Species Management Across Property Boundaries

Presenter: Shawn Duke, Cardno

Quality Assurance Best Practices for Data Review: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Quality Assurance Best Practices for Data Review

Presenter: Craig Palmer, GDIT

Evaluating Vegetation Changes at Acacia Reservation: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Evaluating Vegetation Changes at Acacia Reservation

Presenter: Sarah Eysenbach, Cleveland Metroparks

Setting Achievable Goals for Urban Stream Restoration Utilizing Stream Functions Pyramid: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Setting Achievable Goals for Urban Stream Restoration Utilizing Stream Functions Pyramid

Presenter: Jennifer Grieser,  Cleveland Metroparks

Long-term outcomes of tallgrass prairie reconstructions: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Long-term outcomes of tallgrass prairie reconstructions
Presenter: Diane Larson, US Geological Survey

Field and Flight: UAS data to support bottomland hardwood restoration monitoring: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Field and Flight: UAS data to support bottomland hardwood restoration monitoring

Presenter: Matt Struckhoff, US Geological Survey

Citizen Monitoring for Community Engagement: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Citizen Monitoring for Community Engagement

Presenters: Sarah Dezwarte and Dale Katsma, Camp Y-Koda Outdoor Skills & Education

Biodiversity Guidelines for Restoration Opportunities Assessments

These guidelines are intended to provide more context, more resources and fresh perspectives to the ongoing global interaction between biodiversity conservation and forest landscape restoration. They do so in the context of the methodology used by dozens of countries and jurisdictions to help practitioners working on identifying and realising their landscape restoration goals — and they should be interpreted as a companion to the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM).

Alliance for Zero Extinction Global Map

The Alliance for Zero Extinction identifies sites that must be effectively protected (and may require restoration) to ensure the survival of the world’s most threatened species.These sites are based on species groups that have been globally assessed by the IUCN Red List, including amphibians, birds, cacti, cone snails, conifers, corals, cycads, freshwater crabs, freshwater crayfish, freshwater shrimps, mammals, mangrove plants, selected marine fish (blennies, groupers, pufferfish, wrasses), selected reptiles (chameleons, crocodiles, iguanas, tortoises, turtles), sharks and rays, and selected birches.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
The location of each site is shown on a map and sites can be searched by country, taxonomic group, or area selected on the map interface. Data can be exported for GIS analysis as well as tabular information on the species at each site. This tool can contribute to activity A2.

Accelerating biodiversity commitments through forest landscape restoration: Evidence from assessments in 26 countries using the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM)

Building on the information presented in the information document on restoration of forest ecosystems and landscapes as contribution to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets ( UNEP/CBD/COP/13/INF/11 ) prepared for the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, the present document provides guidance, information and evidence about how forest landscape restoration (FLR) is already accelerating progress towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets , especially Targets 2, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 and the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity , through process – related activities (including biodiversity mainstreaming and capacity development). As forest landscape restoration activities start being implemented , they can also accelerate progress on the targets and vision through activity – based restoration interventions (sustainable management of natural resources, rehabilitation of degraded areas, and conservation of biodiversity) . Specific country examples are presented that illustrate the link between planned or implemented forest landscape restoration activities and national biodiversity targets that have been adopted in national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) , and demonstrate the connection made by Parties to the Convention between forest landscape restoration and ecosystem – based approaches to landscape restoration .

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
Specific country examples are presented that illustrate the link between planned or implemented FLR activities and national biodiversity targets that have been adopted in NBSAPs, and demonstrate the connection made by Parties to the Convention between FLR and ecosystem-based approaches to landscape restoration. In reviewing the linkages between FLR strategies and national biodiversity targets, these reports are of particular relevance to activity B6 and can facilitate the integration of FLR-related objectives and targets in NBSAPs as well as national reports to the CBD.

A Future for Data: An Overview of Data Management for Analysis, Decision-making and Reuse: IERQC Webinar

Topic:  A Future for Data: An Overview of Data Management for Analysis, Decision-making and Reuse

Presenter: Rob Sutter, CSRA

Converting a Landfill to an Environmental Resource: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Converting a Landfill to an Environmental Resource
Presenter: Eric Forbes, Fairfax County

Volunteer Monitoring for Community Engagement: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Volunteer Monitoring for Community Engagement
Presenter: Kirsten Lyons, Friends of the St. Clair River

Federal Ecological Restoration Projects: An urban land manager’s perspective: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Federal Ecological Restoration Projects: An urban land manager’s perspective

Presenter:  Lauren Umek, Chicago Park District

Strategies for Successful Native Plantings, from Seed to Establishment and Beyond: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Strategies for Successful Native Plantings, from Seed to Establishment and Beyond

Presenter: Jason Zylka, US Army Corps of Engineers

Stream Channel Restoration

Topic: Stream Channel Restoration
Presenter: Lauren Vanden Berg, US Army Corps of Engineers

Developing the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework: IERQC Webinar

Topic: Developing the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework
Presenter:  Abram DaSilva

From Datasheet to Spreadsheet: Managing Restoration Data Collected within the St. Clair-Detroit River System: IERQC Webinar

Topic: From Datasheet to Spreadsheet:  Managing Restoration Data Collected within the St. Clair-Detroit River System

Presenter: Kevin Keeler, US Geological Survey

Extracting Maximum Value from Your Work: Emerging Federal Requirements and Tools for Data Sharing: IERQC Webinar

Topic:  Extracting Maximum Value from Your Work: Emerging Federal Requirements and Tools for Data Sharing

Presenter: David Rugg, US Forest Service

Ecoregions 2017 Mapping Tool

The Ecoregions 2017 mapping tool displays 846 global ecoregions, designating terrestrial ecoregions with more than half, less than half, and 20% or less remaining natural habitat.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
This type of mapping tool is useful for activity A1. Although this is a global assessment, it can help to scope out which ecoregions present at the national scale have lost most of their coverage globally. In combination with locally relevant sources of data on drivers of degradation it could help determine which ecoregions could be prioritized for restoration (A2).

Resources on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) – Forest Peoples Programme

Free, Prior and Informed (FRIP) is a safeguarding system that can be used to engage stakeholders and protect their fundamental rights. The Forest Peoples Programme provides a list of resources in English, Spanish, and French on this topic.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
This is a safeguarding system that can be used to engage stakeholders and protect their fundamental rights (A3).

Building on synergies: Harnessing community and smallholder forestry for Sustainable Development Goals

IUFRO’s Policy Brief “Building on synergies: Harnessing community and smallholder forestry for Sustainable Development Goals” explores the common constraints that undermine community and smallholder forestry around the world, including lack of fundamental rights (e.g., tenure), bureaucratic hurdles, unfavourable commercial arrangements and illegality. It explores avenues to overcome these constraints such as the development of a supportive institutional setting, unlocking economic opportunities, realizing education and capacity building programs, and increasing systematic monitoring of outcomes.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
By emphasizing the link between local land tenure rights and SDGs, this policy brief speaks to the legal and policy framework around land tenure emphasized by activity B2, the importance of strengthening education about restoration benefits in activity B3, and how restoration should be used to promote economic opportunity, relevant to activity B8.

Using structured decision-making to set restoration objectives when multiple values and preferences exist

Achieving global targets for restoring native vegetation cover requires restoration projects to identify and work toward common management objectives. This is made challenging by the different values held by concerned stakeholders, which are not often accounted for. Additionally, restoration is time-dependent and yet there is often little explicit acknowledgment of the time frames required to achieve outcomes. Here, we argue that explicitly incorporating value and time considerations into stated objectives would help to achieve restoration goals. We reviewed the peer-reviewed literature on restoration of terrestrial vegetation and found that while there is guidance on how to identify and account for stakeholder values and time considerations, there is little evidence these are being incorporated into decision-making processes. In this article, we explore how a combination of stakeholder surveys and workshops can be used within a structured decision-making framework to facilitate the integration of diverse stakeholder values and time frame considerations to set restoration objectives.

Ecological Restoration in a Changing Biosphere

Restoration efforts will affect large areas of the planet and hundreds of millions of people over the coming decades, but what will these actions look like, and what will they achieve? Debate continues about what constitutes appropriate restoration targets in our human-dominated and ever more rapidly changing world, and the outcome of this debate will impact the actions taken to conserve biodiversity, sequester carbon, and improve human livelihoods at large spatial scales. This special issue brings together eight scientific, historical, and journalistic perspectives to address these two critical questions about ecological restoration in a rapidly changing biosphere.

Partnering with Nature: The case for natural regeneration in forest and landscape restoration

Natural regeneration is a cost-effective, nature-based tool for restoration that enhances resilience, supports local biodiversity, and supplies multiple ecosystem goods and services. However, for social, cultural and economic reasons, the potential of natural regeneration for achieving large-scale restoration objectives and climate mitigation targets is often overlooked. This information brief makes specific recommendations for policy changes that could enhance the role of natural regeneration in ecological restoration interventions and as an integral component of forest and landscape restoration.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
This policy brief describes the potential for natural regeneration, identifies areas where it might be most appropriate, in line with activity C1, and discusses policy changes needed to facilitate its implementation, consistent with activity B1.