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Ecological restoration for sustainable development in China
Bojie Fu1,2, Yanxu Liu2, Michael E Meadows3,4,5
1State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
National Science Review
|June 2, 2023
Summary
Ecological restoration efforts in China are reassessed to understand their contributions to sustainable development. A framework links landscape patterns, ecosystem services, and socioeconomic progress for better ecological restoration strategies.
Area of Science:
- Ecological restoration science
- Environmental policy
- Sustainable development studies
Background:
- Transdisciplinary research is crucial for ecological restoration yielding social and ecological benefits.
- Past restoration efforts require reassessment for their contributions to sustainable development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reassess past ecological restoration efforts in China.
- To address key questions: ecological restoration of what, for whom, and to what purpose.
- To propose a 'landscape pattern-ecosystem service-sustainable development' co-evolutionary framework.
Main Methods:
- Review of past restoration efforts in China.
- Analysis of spatial patterns and strategic approaches in national ecological restoration.
- Examination of ecosystem service management stages (classification, synergy, integration).
Main Results:
- China's ecological restoration exhibits a geographically integrative spatial pattern.
- Three stages of ecosystem service management identified: classification, synergy, and integration.
- Geographic process differences are key for ecological restoration within China's national strategies.
Conclusions:
- Understanding human-nature relationships in diverse geographical contexts is vital for policymaking.
- Four research directions proposed: coupling processes, ecosystem service flows, social-ecological benefits, and adaptive management.
- Promoting greater harmony between humans and nature is a key goal.
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