Ecological restoration at pilot-scale employing site-specific rationales for small-patch degraded mangroves in Indian Sundarbans

Abstract To date, degraded mangrove ecosystem restoration accomplished worldwide primarily aligns towards rehabilitation with monotypic plantations, while ecological restoration principles are rarely followed in these interventions. However, researchers admit that most of these initiatives' success rate is not appreciable often. An integrative framework of ecological restoration for degraded mangroves where site-specific observations could be scientifically rationalized, with co-located reference pristine mangroves as the target ecosystem to achieve is currently distinctively lacking. Through this experimental scale study, we studied the suitability of site-specific strategies to ecologically restore degraded mangrove patches vis-à-vis the conventional mono-species plantations in a highly vulnerable mangrove ecosystem in Indian Sundarbans. This comprehensive restoration framework was trialed in small discrete degraded mangrove patches spanning ~ 65 ha. Site-specific key restoration components applied are statistically validated through RDA analyses and Bayesian t-tests. 25 quantifiable metrics evaluate the restoration success of a ~ 3 ha degraded mangrove patch with Ridgeline distribution, Kolmogorov–Smirnov (K-S) tests, and Mahalanobis Distance (D2) measure to prove the site’s near-equivalence to pristine reference in multiple ecosystem attributes. This restoration intervention irrevocably establishes the greater potential of this framework in the recovery of ecosystem functions and self-sustenance compared to that of predominant monoculture practices for vulnerable mangroves.