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In landscape design and ecological restoration, humans shape the landscape. In doing so, practitioners express values that are not always stated explicitly. Here, we discuss how the values expressed by landscape designers and ecological scientists have constantly evolved through history and remain contested and re‐negotiated today—a phenomenon we term the "evolving circle of landscape design." Values inherent in present‐day landscape design and restoration (e.g. biodiversity, climate resilience) may be one transient point among many (e.g. power relations of societies in the past, digital landscapes of societies in the future) on this evolving circle. We believe that a critical, reflective understanding of the values expressed during landscape design and restoration will enable practitioners to choose more freely which values are expressed in landscapes, and that doing so will empower our disciplines to help society meet its present and future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is the intentional intervention in the forest landscape to recover biological diversity and ecosystem functions, improving human well‐being in altered landscapes. The general objective of the present study was to understand the state of the art of research that potentially contributes to FLR practices in the Amazon. We carried out a comprehensive literature review using the Web of Science platform, considering papers published between 2000 and 2020 to understand the state of knowledge on restoration strategies that support FLR in the nine Amazonian countries and the nine states of the Brazilian Amazon. We selected 362 articles that met our inclusion criteria after analyzing 1,205 articles. We found that Brazil, followed by Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador, has the largest number of published articles on FLR. Agroforestry (37.88%) and natural regeneration (30.35%) were the most common FLR strategies across all countries and Brazilian states. Most studies investigated ecological functioning (33%), vegetation structure (31%), and tree diversity (15.5%). Forest restoration strategies (forest plantation, natural regeneration, or silviculture) are reported in most studies (57.23%), in comparison to restoration strategies of agricultural lands (agroforestry systems or improved fallow; 42.77%). We found an increase in publications describing restoration strategies over time in the Amazon, especially from 2012 onwards, with a peak in 2018. Future studies in the Amazon region should address socioeconomic issues and expand the geographic scope within the Amazon, as well as the FLR strategies and the ecosystem attributes investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of species for restoration projects requires decision‐making to be based on scientific evidence as well as input and approval from local communities. To better guide future restoration initiatives, this study assessed the socio‐ecological effects of two Prosopis congeners including the native Prosopis cineraria and the non‐native P. juliflora (mesquite) in two different sites in Southern Iran. Soil parameters including pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, and total nitrogen as well as vegetation indices including native vegetation cover, diversity, and density were measured under both of the congener tree species. Furthermore, pastoralists' perceptions toward the colonizing ability of both Prosopis congeners, their impacts on ecosystem services, and people's livelihoods and human well‐being were assessed through interviews and semi‐structured questionnaires. The ecological results showed that areas with native P. cineraria had higher native vegetation cover, density, and diversity as compared to sites with the non‐native P. juliflora. Soils under P. cineraria and P. juliflora generally showed similar properties, with some small differences between sites (especially for pH and nitrogen). The social results showed that pastoralists in both study regions perceived P. cineraria to be better for local ecosystem services and livelihoods and viewed it to have lower colonizing or invasion potential. It can be concluded that native P. cineraria is a better candidate for restoration because it provides more ecological and social benefits and poses fewer long‐term threats. Caution should be taken when promoting non‐native species such as P. juliflora for restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redressing the paucity of tree hollows is essential for conservation of hollow‐dependent fauna in many landscapes around the world. We describe a method of accelerating availability of natural hollows in regenerating landscapes by mechanically creating entrances in tree stems that have existing voids or internal decay but have not yet developed entrances. We trialed this method in woodland and forest of south‐eastern Australia in 39 stems in the closely related tree genera Eucalyptus and Angophora. Exploratory drilling of 10‐mm diameter holes was used to detect the presence of internal decay or voids. We then drilled 40‐, 65‐, or 90‐mm diameter entrance holes, depending on the size of the potential cavity, 2.4–4.8 m above ground level. Camera traps showed that drilled entrances were investigated or used within hours of creation. A diverse suite of invertebrates, reptiles, mammals, and birds were recorded entering or leaving entrances, including threatened species. All 39 holes were used by animals with up to six vertebrate taxa using some entrances. Two bird species excavated material from within cavities, and three species of marsupial were recorded taking nesting material into the cavities. This trial provides evidence that adding entrances to currently inaccessible internal cavities in trees has potential to accelerate development of habitat for hollow‐dependent fauna, particularly in regenerating vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of restoration management on peatlands formerly used for intensive agriculture are rarely evaluated or discussed over larger spatial and temporal scales. Here, restoration of the Drentsche Aa brook valley was evaluated at the landscape level. Detailed vegetation maps were used with 1982 serving as the baseline, 1994 representing vegetation before rewetting, and 2015 after rewetting. Based on the mapping typology and phytosociological records, 15 main vegetation types were distinguished. Species richness and Shannon index values were calculated as plant diversity indicators, and the number of rare species was used as a rarity indicator. Basic landscape metrics were evaluated as measures of spatial heterogeneity. Results after restoration measures showed extensive vegetation type conversions clearly pointed to lower nutrient levels, and an increase in marsh vegetation at the cost of wet meadows. Significantly higher landscape heterogeneity was achieved, while biodiversity indicators showed small differences over time due to a mixture of positive and negative changes at different locations. This study shows that long‐term restoration management on agricultural peatlands can be successful at landscape level. Our experience highlights the importance of continuity in management given the prolonged influence by intensive agriculture, both from former land uses and from the surrounding valley flanks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As approaches to ecological restoration become increasingly large scale and collaborative, there is a need to better understand social aspects of restoration and how they influence land management. In this article, we examine social perspectives that influence the determination of ecological reference conditions in restoration. Our analysis is based on in‐depth interviews with diverse stakeholders involved in collaborative restoration of fire‐adapted forest landscapes. We conducted interviews with 86 respondents from six forest collaboratives that are part of the U.S. Forest Service's Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program. Collaboratives use a variety of approaches to develop reference conditions, including historic, contemporary, and future scenarios. Historical conditions prior to European settlement (nineteenth century or “pre‐settlement” conditions), or prior to more recent grazing, logging, and exclusion of fire, were the predominant type of reference used in all sites. Stakeholders described benefits and limitations of reference conditions. Primary benefits include (1) providing a science‐based framework for bringing stakeholders together around a common vision; (2) gaining social understanding and acceptance of the underlying need for restoration; and (3) serving to neutralize otherwise value‐laden discussions about multiple, sometimes competing, resource objectives. Limitations stem from (1) concerns over social conflict when reference conditions are perceived to contradict other stakeholder values and interests, (2) differing interpretations of reference condition science, (3) inappropriate application or over‐generalization of reference information, and (4) limited relevance of historical references for current and future conditions in some ecosystems. At the same time, collaboratives are adopting innovative strategies to address conceptual and methodological limitations of reference conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mediterranean areas, river systems are key for maintaining regional biodiversity by providing a high diversity of habitats. We studied bird community recovery for 9 years (2001-2009) during landscape restoration and Guadiamar Green Corridor establishment in the area affected by the Aznalcóllar mine spill (SW Spain, 1998). One year following plant restoration (3 years after the spill), values for α- and β-bird species diversity were high, sooner than reported for similar restoration processes elsewhere. Species richness, ecological diversity, and abundance increased only slightly in the following 8 years. Overlap between communities in sequential years, measured by similarity indexes, increased throughout the study period to about 70% during final survey years, and most breeding bird species present before the accident again inhabit the area. Only 5 years after the mine accident, bird communities in the restored site were similar in species richness, abundance, and diversity to an unaffected reference site; redundancy analysis demonstrated that bird communities were also similar between the reference river and the Guadiamar. Despite the severity of the mine accident, our results suggest a swift recovery of the bird community. We attribute this success to the rapid restoration of habitat availability and the resilience of the birds. This long-term study contributes to our limited knowledge of bird species response to habitat restoration following toxic spills in Mediterranean habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabin (2007) asks whether formal science is an effective framework and methodology for designing and implementing ecological restoration programs. He argues that beyond certain ancillary benefits, restoration science has little of practical value to offer the practice of restoration. He goes on to suggest that restoration science most often represents an impediment to restoration practice because an “ivory tower” mentality limits the utility of experiments and diverts research dollars away from answering practical questions. His conclusion is that a nonscientific gardening approach may be more effective at restoring degraded ecosystems. We disagree with this perspective because: (1) restoration science has moved beyond exclusively using “square grids” placed on small patches of land to examine treatment effects on species representation; (2) Cabin’s critique greatly undervalues the contribution of science to restoration practice even where the input of restoration scientists is not directly evident; and (3) the practice of restoration is unlikely to advance beyond small-scale and truly haphazard successes without well-designed studies that can provide peer-reviewed and widely accessible published information on the mechanisms underlying both successes and failures. We conclude that through integration with other disciplines, restoration science increasingly will provide novel approaches and tools needed to restore ecosystem composition, structure, and function at stand to landscape scales. As with the broader role of science in the human enterprise ( Sagan 1996 ), the contribution of restoration science to restoration practice can only grow as the discipline matures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]