A Restoration Synthesis

As human extraction of resources grows and land uses change, ecosystem restoration is becoming a critical tool to both stem biodiversity loss and ensure flows of key ecosystem services into the future. However, the science of ecological restoration is relatively young. It has yet to fully take advantage of the potential for cross‐scale studies of restoration efforts to inform our understanding of ecosystem recovery, resilience, and functioning and to hone restoration decisions. Rigorous tests of restoration trajectories of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as well as cross‐scale investigations of strategies to maximize restoration outcomes, remain scarce.

This research project investigates the pattern and timing of recovery of both biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services in ecosystems following large‐scale disturbances (e.g., agriculture, damming, eutrophication, hurricane/cyclones, invasive species, logging, oil spills, and overfishing). Expected outcomes of this project are:

• Empirically derived guidance for restoration and conservation regarding the performance of various metrics of ecosystem recovery
• A searchable online repository of the empirical studies that document ecosystem recovery
• A series of approximately three peer‐reviewed journal manuscripts reporting findings about the relationships among biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and ecosystem services in recovering ecosystems.

A significant portion of this project focuses on training graduate students and public outreach. Using social media, blogs, and news articles, we plan to communicate our findings with the public using an existing platform dedicated to promote the implementation and improve accessibility of the science and practice of ecosystem restoration.