Description: Active restoration encompasses a wide range of interventions aimed at repairing damaged ecosystems. This can include a number of different active planting methodologies (detailed after this section), as well as invasive species removal, soil amendment, water management modifications, and more. Active restoration involves direct, intentional actions to accelerate the recovery of degraded ecosystems to their natural state or to improve their ecological functions.
Optimal Use Case: This approach is necessary for severely degraded areas where natural regeneration is unlikely without intervention, nearby native seed sources are lacking, invasive species are present, ecosystems have slow natural recovery, and/or restoration of specific habitats is desired.
Species Spatial and Temporal Arrangement: Active restoration often includes high-diversity plantings. Planting designs can mimic natural distributions or be tailored for specific restoration goals, such as maximizing biodiversity or habitat structure. Plants are selected and arranged for immediate impact and long-term sustainability.
On-the-Ground Techniques: Active restoration involves direct and extensive interventions across a landscape to address various forms of ecological degradation. The methods can be tailored to the specific needs of the ecosystem being restored, e.g. with a focus on rapidly establishing desired vegetation cover, improving soil health, or restoring hydrological functions. Techniques may involve preparing the site by removing/excluding invasive species, amending soil, planting a mix of species for structural diversity, ongoing maintenance against pests and weeds, and installing erosion control measures.
Carbon Sequestration Capacity within the Lifetime of a Carbon Project: Active restoration has a high capacity for carbon sequestration, especially when involving the planting of trees and other long-lived species known for significant carbon sequestration.
Community Benefits in Carbon Project Context: Active restoration creates employment and training opportunities, supports sustainable land use, and facilitates carbon credit generation, offering immediate financial benefits through labor and potential long-term benefits via carbon projects.
For further reading, please refer to:
- Choi, Y. D., Kelleher, E. M., Bird, E. J., & Murphy, S. (2024). Active versus passive restoration of tallgrass prairie in the US Midwest: plant species diversity and assemblage, net primary production and soil carbon sequestration. Restoration Ecology, 32(3), e14021.
- Meli, P., Holl, K. D., Rey Benayas, J. M., Jones, H. P., Jones, P. C., Montoya, D., & Moreno Mateos, D. (2017). A global review of past land use, climate, and active vs. passive restoration effects on forest recovery. Plos one, 12(2), e0171368.
- Osuri, A. M., Kasinathan, S., Siddhartha, M. K., Mudappa, D., & Raman, T. S. (2019). Effects of restoration on tree communities and carbon storage in rainforest fragments of the Western Ghats, India. Ecosphere, 10(9), e02860.