Explore the vast range of titles available.

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 grey 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 socio-economic implications of the restoration rarely mentioned, except for mangroves. Projects were largely funded by governmental 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.

Aims Karst ecological restoration (KER) publication characteristics, topic trends, and knowledge domains were analysed to provide a global perspective. Methods Bibliometric and knowledge map analyses were used to analyse KER documents (319) in the WoSCC. The whole period was divided into the germination (GP), slow growth (SGP) and rapid growth (RGP) periods based on the number of annual publications (NAP). Results (1) The NAP increased over time, with China contributing the most. (2) The study topics varied and flourished over time. Plant was the most studied class and Animal the least studied in the Biolog y category. In the Environment category, Water was the most studied medium in the GP, while Soil was the most studied in the SGP and RGP. Remote sensing and Model were the leading methods in the SGP and RGP; Field investigation and/or experimental methods , including Leaf traits , Vegetation investigation , and Chlorophyll fluorescence, were the main methods in the GP. Ecological engineering was the leading restoration method overall. Planting pattern was a new restoration method in the SGP, while Biochar , Seed bank , and Soil translocation were new methods in the RGP. (3) Eleven knowledge domains and 10 vital documents well support studies on KER. Future research directions are proposed. Conclusions The results provide a new, global, objective perspective for understanding KER research over the past 3 decades.

Why do some restored ecosystems persist for centuries while others are quickly converted to alternative land uses or land covers? We propose that restored ecosystems have a temporal dimension that is variable, often finite, and likely predictable to some extent based on attributes of stakeholders, environment, and governance. The longevity of a restored ecosystem carries strong implications for its capacity to support biodiversity and provide ecosystem services, so an emerging challenge for restoration ecology is to predict the circumstances under which restored ecosystems persist for longer or shorter periods of time. We use a case study in tropical forest restoration to demonstrate one way that restored ecosystem longevity can be approached quantitatively, and we highlight opportunities for future research using restoration case study repositories, practitioner surveys, and historical aerial imagery. Much remains to be learned, but it is likely that decision-makers and practitioners have considerable leverage to increase the probability that restored ecosystems persist into the future, extending the benefits of contemporary restoration initiatives.

Based on retrieved results of literature and patents related to international wetland ecological restoration, the current status and development of ecological restoration techniques for degraded wetlands in both China and international states were analyzed synthetically. The results showed that the United States was the pioneering country in studies on the wetland ecological restoration, while China began to pay widespread attention from 2000. Compared to the international developed countries, the start time of concern for wetland ecological restoration in China was about 10 years later. The phytoremediation and engineering restoration were the most popular among all the wetland ecological restoration techniques. Besides the United States, the number of publications increased most quickly in China since 2004. The Louisiana State University published most of the researching findings among the international institutions related to wetland ecological restoration. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the most important institution for wetland restoration study in China. The analysis of the wetland ecological restoration practice in China and international states indicated that the study and application of combined bioremediation techniques would receive more attention for wetland ecological restoration in the future.

Vegetation in Northeast China (NEC) has faced dual challenges posed by climate change and human activities. However, the factors dominating vegetation development and their contribution remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the response of vegetation in different land cover types, climate regions, and time scales to water availability from 1990 to 2018 based on the relationship between normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI). The effects of human activities and climate change on vegetation development were quantitatively evaluated using the residual analysis method. We found that the area percentage with positive correlation between NDVI and SPEI increased with time scales. NDVI of grass, sparse vegetation, rain-fed crop, and built-up land as well as sub-humid and semi-arid areas (drylands) correlated positively with SPEI, and the correlations increased with time scales. The negatively correlated area was concentrated in humid areas or areas covered by forests and shrubs. Vegetation water surplus in humid areas weakens with warming, and vegetation water constraints in drylands enhance. Moreover, potential evapotranspiration had an overall negative effect on vegetation, and precipitation was a controlling factor for vegetation development in semi-arid areas. A total of 53% of the total area in NEC showed a trend of improvement, which is mainly attributed to human activities (93%), especially through the implementation of ecological restoration projects in NEC. The relative role of human activities and climate change in vegetation degradation areas were 56% and 44%, respectively. Our findings highlight that the government should more explicitly consider the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the influence of human activities and water availability on vegetation under changing climate and improve the resilience of regional water resources. The relative proportions and roles map of climate change and human activities in vegetation change areas provide a basis for government to formulate local-based management policies.

Assessing long-term dynamics of ecosystem service is critical for sustainable restoration and management of estuarine wetlands. We analyzed ecosystem services dynamics from 1980 to 2015 and their natural and anthropogenic drivers in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, which consists of the old and current Yellow River estuaries. Our results showed that biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, and water purification services in the old Yellow River estuary were improved gradually, but water yield decreased during the study period. Ecosystem services in the current Yellow River estuary changed sharply during 1980–1990, but fluctuated since 1990. The warming climate in the past 35 years negatively affected water yield and enhanced carbon storage in the old Yellow River estuary. Marshland was critical for improving ecosystem services in the old Yellow River estuary, and medium cover grassland provided suitable habitats for water birds in the current Yellow River estuary. Furthermore, the release of freshwater from the Yellow River into estuarine wetlands enhanced the provision of ecosystem services. In comparison with biodiversity conservation, water purification, and carbon storage services, water supply service responded differently to ecological restoration. Better tradeoffs should be identified to ensure effective provision of desired ecosystem services during ecological restoration.

We review some of the most commonly known models in restoration ecology from the past 20 years. From these, we seek to identify essential elements required for the scaling-up and mainstreaming of restoration and, based on that, develop a new framework that could be used to assist in the realization of long-lasting and effective restoration policies and programs at the landscape and larger spatial scales. We argue that the reference model is particularly important at a time when there are urgent calls and investments for scaling-up restoration to the landscape scale. At that scale, we argue, it is essential to consider both ecological restoration and ecological rehabilitation as just two of the various components in a \"family\" of restorative activities that must be deployed, including changed management practices for agriculture, to make ongoing human activities and land uses more ecologically sound and sustainable. In conclusion, we present a new model that could help orient if not actually design planning, monitoring and evaluation, scaling-up, and applying restorative activities in new areas.

Territorial ecological restoration (TER) is a critical step for promoting the development of an ecological civilization, as well as a significant strategic task relating to national ecological security and the well-being of a population. However, calculating the ecological restoration potential (ERP) is a key challenge in TER. Using Zhaoping County as an example, this study calculated the ecological restoration natural potential (ERNP), including the vegetation coverage potential, water conservation potential, windbreak and sand fixation potential, and biodiversity potential, and proposed an ERP calculation method based on the correction of ERNP with an ecological security pattern (ESP) and social support (SS). The findings revealed several key points. First, using the similarity habitat method to calculate ERNP highlighted significant disparities in the vegetation coverage, water conservation, windbreak and sand fixation, and biodiversity across Zhaoping County. These variations were contrary to regional ecological service functions. Second, overall, the ESP levels in Zhaoping County were high, accounting for about 60.42% of its total area being classified as high or relatively high level, with the towns exhibiting strong SS abilities primarily located in the northern region. Third, the ERP results which are between 0 and 1 indicated that areas with higher potential were mainly found in the west and northeast of Zhaoping, while lower potential areas were concentrated in the northwest and south; of them, the ERP index value in most regions is between 0.2 and 0.3, accounting for about 43.97% of the area. Finally, suggestions for the TER project layout and measures to enhance the ERP were proposed based on these ERP calculations. This study offers new insights into ERP strategies while providing guidance for identifying critical areas requiring restoration.

Ecosystem services (ESs) are important for supporting human development. However, a changing climate and anthropogenic impacts are resulting in the degradation of dryland ecosystems to varying degrees. While there has been the global implementation of Ecological Restoration Programs (ERPs) to restore degraded ecosystems, there remains limited comprehensive assessment of their impacts on ESs of drylands. In this study, the sandy areas of northern China were used as the study area. The RUSLE, RWEQ, CASA, and InVEST models were used to simulate four major ESs: soil conservation (SC), sand fixation (SF), carbon sequestration (CS), and water yield (WY). The study aimed to evaluate the influences of various ERPs on major ESs. The dominant factors affecting the overall benefits provided by ESs were also identified. Since ERPs were implemented, forest areas have increased by 2.8 × 104 km2, whereas the areas of cropland, shrubland, and grassland have decreased. There were generally increasing trends in SF, SC, and CS, whereas there was a decreasing trend in WY. We then used a scenario-based simulation approach to eliminate the influence of climate variability on ESs. The results showed increasing trends in SF, SC, and CS, whereas there were minimal changes in WY. The results suggested that although ERPs can significantly increase regional ESs, unregulated expansion in vegetation can result in a water crisis and affect regional water security.

Gross primary productivity (GPP) is a reliable measure of the carbon sink potential of terrestrial ecosystems and is an essential element of terrestrial carbon cycle research. This study employs the diffuse fraction-based two-leaf light-use efficiency (DTEC) model to imitate China’s monthly GPP from 2001 to 2020. We studied the trend of GPP, investigated its relationship with climatic factors, and separated the contributions of climate change and human activities. The findings showed that the DTEC model was widely applicable in China. During the study period, China’s average GPP increased significantly, by 9.77 g C m[sup.−2] yr[sup.−1] (p < 0.001). The detrimental effect of aerosol optical depth (AOD) on GPP was more widespread than that of total precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation. Areas that benefited from AOD, such as Northwest China, experienced significant increases in GPP. Climate change and human activities had a primary and positive influence on GPP during the study period, accounting for 28% and 72% of the increase, respectively. Human activities, particularly ecological restoration projects and the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies, played a significant role in China’s GPP growth. China’s afforestation plan was particularly notable, with the GPP increasing in afforestation areas at a rate greater than 10 g C m[sup.−2] yr[sup.−1]. This research provides a theoretical foundation for the long-term management of China’s terrestrial ecosystems and helps develop adaptive ecological restoration tactics.