Global priority areas for ecosystem restoration

Extensive ecosystem restoration is increasingly seen as being central to conserving biodiversity1 and stabilizing the climate of the Earth2. Although ambitious national and global targets have been set, global priority areas that account for spatial variation in benefits and costs have yet to be identified. Here we develop and apply a multicriteria optimization approach that identifies priority areas for restoration across all terrestrial biomes, and estimates their benefits and costs. We find that restoring 15% of converted lands in priority areas could avoid 60% of expected extinctions while sequestering 299 gigatonnes of CO2—30% of the total CO2 increase in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution. The inclusion of several biomes is key to achieving multiple benefits. Cost effectiveness can increase up to 13-fold when spatial allocation is optimized using our multicriteria approach, which highlights the importance of spatial planning. Our results confirm the vast potential contributions of restoration to addressing global challenges, while underscoring the necessity of pursuing these goals synergistically. Fil: Strassburg, Bernardo B. N.. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Iribarrem, Alvaro. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Beyer, Hawthorne L.. The University of Queensland; Australia. University of Queensland; Australia Fil: Cordeiro, Carlos Leandro. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Crouzeilles, Renato. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Jakovac, Catarina C.. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Braga Junqueira, André. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Lacerda, Eduardo. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Universidade Federal Fluminense; Brasil Fil: Latawiec, Agnieszka E.. University of East Anglia; Reino Unido. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Balmford, Andrew. University of Cambridge; Estados Unidos Fil: Brooks, Thomas M.. University Of The Philippines Los Banos; Filipinas. Institute For Marine And Antarctic Studies; Australia. International Union For Conservation Of Nature And Natural Resources; Suiza Fil: Butchart, Stuart H. M.. University of Cambridge; Estados Unidos Fil: Chazdon, Robin L.. University Of The Sunshine Coast; Australia. University of Connecticut; Estados Unidos Fil: Erb, Karl-Heinz. Universitat Fur Bodenkultur Wien; Austria Fil: Brancalion, Pedro. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil Fil: Buchanan, Graeme. Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds; Reino Unido Fil: Cooper, David. Secretariat Of The Convention On Biological Diversity; Canadá Fil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Donald, Paul F.. University of Cambridge; Estados Unidos Fil: Kapos, Valerie. United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; Reino Unido Fil: Leclère, David. International Institute For Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg; Austria Fil: Miles, Lera. United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre; Reino Unido Fil: Obersteiner, Michael. Oxford Social Sciences Division; Reino Unido. International Institute For Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg; Austria Fil: Plutzar, Christoph. Universitat Fur Bodenkultur Wien; Austria. Universidad de Viena; Austria Fil: de M. Scaramuzza, Carlos Alberto. International Institute For Sustainability; Brasil Fil: Scarano, Fabio R.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil Fil: Visconti, Piero. International Institute For Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg; Austria