Applying cumulative effects to strategically advance large-scale ecosystem restoration

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Restoration Ecology

Background:

• Large-scale ecosystem restoration is expanding globally.
• Factors influencing long-term restoration success across vast areas are not well understood.
• Project outcomes at large scales are often synergistic, not merely additive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a cumulative-effects conceptual framework for large-scale ecosystem restoration.
• To inform the design, implementation, and outcome measurement of restoration efforts.
• To evaluate this framework using case studies of long-term restoration in the US.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed long-term restoration projects in major US coastal and riverine areas.
• Identified and analyzed cumulative effects of interacting restoration initiatives.
• Synthesized evidence to support a conceptual framework for restoration outcomes.

Main Results:

• Identified eight modes of cumulative effects from interacting restoration projects.
• Demonstrated that cumulative effects positively influence species and ecosystems at landscape and regional scales.
• Showed that cumulative effects, typically studied for degradation, are also measurable for restoration.

Conclusions:

• Cumulative effects are measurable and critical for ecosystem restoration success.
• A cumulative-effects framework can guide managers in leveraging positive interactions and mitigating negative ones.
• Evidence-based cumulative effects enhance the effectiveness of large-scale restoration initiatives.