Resource Database

Restoration of forest ecosystems and landscapes as contribution to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

This document provides information on how implementing forest landscape restoration (FLR) at the jurisdictional and national level can offer countries a way to recover degraded forests and bring back key forest ecosystem functionalities in a way that will increase biodiversity levels in a landscape while contributing to achieving several Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

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.

Aichi Biodiversity “Country Dossiers”

Individual ‘Country Dossiers’ on Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5 and 15, have been prepared by the FERI. This analysis of progress is based on a review of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), 5th National Reports and Nationally Determined Contributions under the UNFCCC.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
Specific elements relevant to the planning and implementation of efforts in pursuit of Targets 5 and 15 were listed and screened for in each party's submissions under four categories: (i) Assessment of state and trends of natural ecosystems, (ii) Specific, Measurable and Time-bound national target-setting under Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5 and 15, (iii) Assessment of drivers and policy response and (iv) Linkages with climate change mitigation and adaptation. These reviews contribute to activity B6.

Fiscal incentives for agricultural commodity production: Options to forge compatibility with REDD+

The UN-REDD Programme published a policy brief on how to forge compatibility of financial incentives for agricultural production with REDD+. Fiscal policies and incentives are often key underlying drivers of forest change that influence land use behaviour in sectors that encroach on forests, although the understanding of their impacts on forests is often lacking. REDD+ provides an entry to rethink fiscal incentives for agricultural commodities as part of Countries National REDD+ Strategies and Actions Plans. REDD+ activities, as defined by the UNFCCC, includes the enhancement of forest carbon stocks, which may be implemented through restoration.

Relevance for the Short Term Action Plan for Ecosystem Restoration:
Linking forest restoration goals with the agricultural production by promoting relevant financial incentives is in line with activity B8.

Quantification of the inevitable: the influence of soil macrofauna on soil water movement in rehabilitated open-cut minelands

The authors propose that scientific experiments under controlled conditions and field trials on post-mining lands are required to quantify (i) macrofauna–soil structure interactions, (ii) functional dynamics of macrofauna taxa, and (iii) their effects on macrofauna and soil development over time. Such knowledge would provide crucial information for soil water models, which would increase confidence in mine waste cover design recommendations and eventually lead to higher likelihood of rehabilitation success of open-cut mining land.

Resident and user support for urban natural areas restoration practices

Beyond these findings, results also suggest that support should be viewed as a multidimensional concept that involves perceptual, demographic, and structural components which often differ for different practices. Managers can use the information provided here to increase their understanding of the relative nature of restoration support and devise holistic social-ecological strategies to achieve restoration success.

Conserving and restoring layered landscapes

Marion Hourdequin and David Havlick, co-editors of the book Restoring Layered Landscapes, discuss the challenges of restoring and conserving layered landscapes, which they define as “landscapes with complex histories shaped by ongoing interactions between humans and nature.”

Developing standards for ecological restoration

Kingsley Dixon, Tein McDonald, and Justin Jonson of the SER Australasia chapter present on the process behind developing the National Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration in Australia.

Dune conservation along Lake Michigan

Dr. Ed Hansen and Suzanne DeVries-Zimmerman of Hope College present on dune ecology and management in this webinar, hosted by the Society for Ecological Restoration and SER Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter.

How to create and sustain a state-based ecological restoration division

How to Create and Sustain a State-based Ecological Restoration Division: The Massachusetts Model from Society for Ecol. Restoration on Vimeo. Tim Purinton, Samantha Woods and Paul Davis discuss the development of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration: how it works, what it has accomplished and how it could be a model for other states, followed by a case study of the Herring Creek dam removal and a Q&A session.

Restoring the living skin of the earth: biocrusts in dryland restoration

Matthew Bowker, Kristina Young, and Henry Grover of the Forest-Rangeland Soil Ecology Lab of Northern Arizona University are working towards incorporating biological soil crusts into the restoration picture. In this webinar, they will share their progress and plans for restoring biocrusts using the following approach: 1) Develop optimal culturing techniques; 2) Maximize field survivorship; 3) Develop, build and test field delivery mechanisms; and 4) Integrate techniques with current restoration practices.

Selecting the right native seed mix for your restoration project

Speakers from Ohio Prairie Nursery discussed the importance of proper seed mixes in restoration.

SER certification program overview

Jen Lyndall, SER’s Certification Program Coordinator, provides an introduction and overview of SER’s new ecological restoration practitioner certification program. You can find out more information at www.ser.org/page/certification.

SMOKE: A short story about an ancient phenomenon

SMOKE: a short story about an ancient phenomenon presented by the International Network for Seed-Based Restoration Section of SER (INSR). Smoking kills but it is the magic solution for seed germination of many native seeds. This webinar, presented by Curtin Professor Kingsley Dixon, noted authority on smoke germination, runs through the background and history of this important discovery and the remarkable scientific journey to the discovery of the compounds in smoke that stimulate germination. The webinar also goes through the step-by-step process for building your own smoke apparatus for treating seed and making smoke water.

The incredible diversity of sagebrush chemistry

The incredible diversity of sagebrush chemistry and its potential value in restoration from the SER Great Basin Chapter, The Great Basin-Native Plant Project and Fire Science Exchange, the BLM Plant Conservation Program, and the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Sagebrushes (Artemisia, subgenus Tridentatae) are champion chemists and famous for their abundant and complex volatile bouquets. The chemical make-up of sagebrushes plays important roles in plant fitness and survival and is an unseen but fundamental component of sagebrush habitats. Justin Runyon, Research Entomologist, USFS RMRS, Bozeman, MT discusses the diversity, distribution, possible functions, and potential use in restoration of sagebrush chemistry, focusing on volatiles.

Using seed zone to select genetically appropriate plant materials

Using seed zones to select genetically appropriate plant materials from the SER Great Basin Chapter, The Great Basin-Native Plant Project and Fire Science Exchange, the BLM Plant Conservation Program, and the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Goal one of the National Seed Strategy is to have available and use genetically appropriate seed for restoration. Holly Prendeville, Research Geneticist, USFS PNW, Corvallis, Oregon, explains provisional and empirical seed zones and discusses tools available that allow us to use seed zones to select genetically appropriate plant materials for restoration.

Land restoration: Reclaiming landscapes for a sustainable future

Land Restoration: Reclaiming Landscapes for a Sustainable Future provides a holistic overview of land degradation and restoration in that it addresses the issue of land restoration from the scientific and practical development points of view. Furthermore, the breadth of chapter topics and contributors cover the topic and a wealth of connected issues, such as security, development, and environmental issues. The use of graphics and extensive references to case studies also make the work accessible and encourage it to be used for reference, but also in active field-work planning.

Biotropica Special Issue: Natural regeneration in the context of large-scale forest and landscape restoration in the tropics

This Special Issue is devoted to understanding how natural regeneration of tropical forests and trees can contribute to large-scale efforts to restore forests within landscapes and to increase tree cover on farms. Despite rapidly growing knowledge regarding the extent and feasibility of natural regeneration and the environmental and economic benefits of naturally regenerating forests in the tropics, tree planting remains the major focus of restoration programs.

A framework for the practical science necessary to restore sustainable, resilient, and biodiverse ecosystems

Despite increasing restoration research activity, a gap between the immediate needs
of restoration practitioners and the outputs of restoration science often limits the effectiveness of restoration programs.
Regrettably, studies often fail to identify the practical issues most critical for restoration success. We propose that part of
this oversight may result from the absence of a considered statement of the necessary practical restoration science questions.
Here we develop a comprehensive framework of the research required to bridge this gap and guide effective restoration. We
structure questions in five themes: (1) setting targets and planning for success, (2) sourcing biological material, (3) optimizing
establishment, (4) facilitating growth and survival, and (5) restoring resilience, sustainability, and landscape integration.

Accelerating tropical forest restoration through the selective removal of pioneer species

Active forest management is often prescribed to accelerate natural regeneration, but evidence for the efficacy of interventions is scarce for tropical forests. In this study we examine the hypothesis that the selective removal of abundant pioneers in the understory of recovering selectively logged forests can improve the composition of forest stands and accelerate succession.

Applying an animal-centric approach to improve ecological restoration

We present a new approach to restoration, based on a detailed understanding of ecological process, the mechanisms by which wildlife respond to landscape patterns. Our animal-centric approach involves measuring the risk-sensitive decision-making of individual animals as they balance searching for food, mates, and breeding sites with avoiding being eaten by predators and relates this to fine-scale habitat and landscape structure.

Assessing restoration outcomes in light of succession: management implications for tropical riparian forest restoration

Today there is a wide variety of approaches on how to determine when a river restoration project can be considered ecologically successful. The limited information on river restoration responses renders this practice a subjective component of river management. We aimed to contribute to this issue by assessing the ecological outcomes of a restoration project conducted in Quebrada Chiclana, a first-order tropical stream located in the headwaters of the Rio Piedras in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico. We focused on the reforestation component of the restoration project using current structure and composition of riparian vegetation as an indicator of restoration success.

Effects of prescribed fire on wildlife and wildlife habitat in selected ecosystems of North America

We used a regional approach, focusing on selected vegetation types for our review (Figure 1). Included
were southeastern pine (Pinus spp.) and mixed pineoak (Quercus spp.) forests, eastern coastal marshes, midwestern jack pine forests, sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems of the interior West, mixed-severity forests of the northern Rocky Mountains, subalpine and montane forests of the Canadian Rockies, southwestern ponderosa pine forests, desert grasslands, and shortgrass steppe
ecosystems. We structured each regional account by reviewing historical and current uses of fire, and then discussed fire effects on wildlife and the challenges of using prescribed fire in each system.

Estimating the economic impacts of ecosystem restoration – methods and case studies

This analysis estimates the economic impacts of a wide variety of ecosystem restoration projects associated with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) lands and programs. Specifically, the report provides estimated economic impacts for 21 DOI restoration projects associated with Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration cases and Bureau of Land Management lands.

Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT): Rapid assessment for land management

The Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT) is a set of procedures and tools used to rapidly determine forest ecological conditions and potential threats. FLAT enables planners and managers to understand baseline conditions, determine and prioritize restoration needs across a landscape system, and conduct ongoing monitoring to achieve land management goals. The rapid assessment process presents a cost-effective opportunity for landowners that include local governments, private owners, and nongovernmental organizations to use ecological data to guide decisionmaking and improve environmental outcomes on their lands. This report is an introduction to FLAT, providing an overview of its purpose, methods, and implications for land management in diverse regions. FLAT is executed in three sequential phases: Phase 1—Forest Cover Type Mapping, Phase 2—Field Assessment, and Phase 3—Management Prioritization.

Guidance for stream restoration and rehabilitation

This technical note is a bibliographic repository of information available to assist professionals with the process of planning, analyzing, and designing stream restoration and rehabilitation projects.

Making the case for forest restoration: A guide to engaging companies

We created this guide to help NGOs and others who want to engage constructively with companies on forest restoration. The recommendations, information, and resources are based on interviews and surveys of corporate leaders, other studies and reports on topics such as communicating for conservation and corporate-NGO engagement, and our experience working with the private sector.

National blue carbon policy assessment framework: Towards effective management of coastal carbon ecosystems

The National Blue Carbon Policy Assessment Framework provides guidance to countries seeking to move forward with developing synergized conservation and restoration programmes and strategies through existing or new national laws, policies and initiatives.

Restauración funcional del paisaje rural: manual de técnicas

This manual is divided into four chapters, the first one showing restoration strategies in forest environments (protected areas, degraded forests in the public and communal domain, inland aquatic ecosystems, among others); The second is aimed at developing strategies for restoration in agricultural lands (pastures, annual crops, perennial crops, among others); The third is oriented towards the importance of nurseries as primary sources of raw material supply for the restoration and, fourth, develops the technical aspects that should be included in the monitoring of restoration projects

Technical guidelines for the design and management of participatory connectivity conservation and restoration projects at the landscape scale in Latin America

This document recounts the authors’ experience in participatory conservation processes that seek terrestrial biodiversity connectivity. It synthesizes at least a decade of research and practice. Its documentation of this experience hopefully can contribute to the conservation and restoration of ecological connectivity in other parts of Latin America and the world.

Unlocking the sustainable potential of land resources: Evaluation systems, strategies and tools

This report provides an introduction to land evaluation systems, strategies and tools necessary for “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The text focuses strongly on how to better match land use with its sustainable potential, in order to reduce the amount of land required to meet human needs, minimize land degradation, and cost-effectively restore already degraded lands. The report provides information that private landowners can use to increase long-term productivity and profitability, while at the same time addressing global objectives defined through land-related Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly 15.3 (land degradation neutrality).