Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

A Simple Planting Technique for Re-establishing Trees Where Frequent Inundation Occurs
Published on: January 26, 2018
Managing trade-offs in landscape restoration and revegetation projects
Martine Maron1, Geoff Cockfield
1Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia. m.maron@uq.edu.au
Abstract:
Landscape restoration projects often have multiple and disparate conservation, resource enhancement, and sometimes economic objectives, since projects that seek to meet more than one objective tend to be viewed more positively by funding agencies and the community. The degree to which there are trade-offs among desired objectives is an important variable for decision makers, yet this is rarely explicitly considered. In particular, the existence of ecological thresholds has important implications for decision-making at both the project level and the regional level. We develop a model of the possibilities and choices for an agency seeking to achieve two environmental objectives in a region through revegetation of a number of sites. A graphical model of the production possibilities sets for a single revegetation project is developed, and different trade-off relationships are discussed and illustrated. Then the model is used to demonstrate the possibilities for managing all such projects within a region. We show that, where there are thresholds in the trade-off relationship between two objectives, specialization (single- or dominant-objective projects) should be considered. This is illustrated using a case study in which revegetation is used to meet avian biodiversity and salinity mitigation objectives. We conclude that where there are sufficient scientific data, explicit consideration of different types of trade-offs can assist in making decisions about the most efficient mix and type of projects to better achieve a range of objectives within a region.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Design Example: Maintaining Level of an Embankment
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Design Example: Alignment of a Road Line Using GIS
Design Example: Analyzing Capacity Contours for Flood Risk Assessment
Taping Over Different Ground Profiles
Topographic Surveying and Contours

