EcoRestor - Designing ecosystem restoration for effective recovery and resilience

Ecosystems are the basis of life on Earth. However, many ecosystems are being degraded at alarming rates, and their ability to function, maintain biodiversity and provide services to people is being undermined. Reversing this degradation through ecosystem restoration is recognised as a major solution to the biodiversity and climate crises, and is the focus of many initiatives such as the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. However, to ensure their sustainability, restoration actions must be designed to achieve effective recovery and long-term resilience of the restored ecosystems. This requires predicting the response of highly complex ecological systems with many interdependent species and their relationship with the landscape. EcoRestor will develop a novel, integrative approach for modelling the consequences of large-scale restoration, and assessing the recovery and resilience of ecosystems. Firstly, it will enhance existing approaches by uniquely combining concepts from network theory, community and landscape ecology, while also incorporating more ecological realism. Secondly, leveraging my training in engineering, EcoRestor will introduce concepts from engineering design to provide practical measures of an ecosystem's state. The findings will provide practical recommendations for planning restoration projects, such as where to undertake restoration actions, and which species to prioritise for reintroduction or monitoring. Dissemination and exploitation activities will foster interchange between academia, restoration practitioners and decision-makers, thus bridging the gap between science, practice and policy. Moreover, outreach activities throughout EcoRestor will raise societal awareness of the importance of ecosystem restoration for biodiversity and ecosystem services. This highly impactful research will not only advance science, but also improve the success and sustainability of restoration actions, thus benefiting both nature and people.